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more about #materialsscience Althestane: That is a darn clever idea! I mean, its not going to be a stable structure unless you know what you're doing...even the most solid of concrete constr... more » Purple Dave: So I was bringing a few rolls of this stuff back to my place in the back of a pick-up truck the other day. It rained. more » SpammerOvTheGods: so...you could dig out a cave and use the concrete cloth to strengthen the walls, yes? storm shelter, root cellar, hobbit house? #@! more » Hamslicer: Best gag raincoat EVER! more » The Curse of Millhaven: Can FRERP be far behind? more » 0kami: "...flexible and becomes hard only when wet." tee hee. more » LittleDragon: This stuff is just cool. So how soon will that have that 3D printer ready for food replication? more » gorehound: looks like a great way to make a punk rock party spot here in the woods of maine. just add beer,weed and people for a good time more » omgwtflolbbqbye: Can you make clothes out of it? Cause I have some hilarious/fatal April Fools Pranks I could engineer with this. more » damndirtyape: Those guys were on Dragon's Den a few years back pitching their business, but turned they down the offered deal. more » crashedpc - Haifisch: Doors sold separately. more » tetracycloide: i need that sponge. i need it, like, yesterday. more » Allen_Richards: What does it do when you feed it after midnight? more » icelight: Man, I had bet that one of the epoxy/slurry guys would be the first to come up with a working design. They seemed to promising. I guess the only thing... more » Quilt: Make it a domed Moon home and you can put me down for 1. more » RAHfanboy: I think long term, if there is such a thing, we will be living under ground, with only things like solar arrays and entryways and greenhouse domes on ... more » David Serrano: I think nobody has the heart to tell them the bricks are useless without mortar. Guess the first buildings on the moon will be brick igloos! more » Garrison Dean: R.O.A.C.H.: Natural building materials? Interesting, but this is all pointless once the University of Wisconsin finishes their project on making bricks from cheese. more » corpore-metal: I don't think building or raw materials was ever really a problem for colonizing the Moon. The problem is what lunar gravity will do to the human body... more » Tomosexual: Well it's good to see Virginia Tech students shooting for something*rimshot* more » -
#madmaterials
Build a Post-Apocalyptic Shelter Out of Cloth: Just Add Water
Concrete Cloth makes the perfect addition to your apocalyptic shopping list. The flexible cloth is easily transported, but transforms into a sturdy concrete shelter after it gets wet. More » -
#spaceporn
Building Blocks for the First Permanent Moon Base
A group of students at Virginia Tech have invented the first bricks that could be build entirely on the Moon, using lunar rocks and powderized aluminum. It's "fired" by fusing the materials with superhot wire. More » -
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#scifashion
Furore, a Fur Substitute, is Next-Gen Polyester
Rayon and polyester better step aside. There's a new synthetic fabric in town, and it's softer, lighter, and more flexible than any of its predecessors. Designers Yvonne Laurysen and Erik Mantel collaborated to create furore, a porous material reminiscent of expanded metal. It comes long and bushy or short and smooth, and can be dyed a variety of different colors. What does this mean for the future of fashion? For one thing, it means you can now dress like a furry alien mermaid without having to hunt down, kill, and skin a furry alien mermaid. More » -
#biomimetics
This Lizard Drinks Through Its Foot, and Soon You Will Too
This mind-bendingly cute thorny devil lizard is one of the most sought-after creatures in the engineering world because it has a special talent: drinking through its foot. Using cracks in its scales, this little guy can wick water up through its foot into its body. Materials scientists hope that by studying how the lizard does this, they can invent substances that absorb water in a similar fashion. And bioengineers might go further. More » -
#madmaterialsscience
Your Floor Can Glow in the Dark with Luminescent Gravel
Ever wanted to create luminescent designs or safety arrows in your floor, but weren't too crazy about those crappy, glow-in-the-dark stickers? Now a company in the Netherlands called Hidden Safety is marketing luminescent gravel, which can be mixed into concrete floors to create beautiful patterns or just point people the right direction in the dark. The gravel looks ordinary in light, but it is actually absorbing photons (hence, the material is often called photoluminescent). When darkness falls, photons zoom out of the gravel and create a glow. More »
