Sci-fi fans are all familiar with the bullet-proof, self-healing robots of the genre. Skin covered Terminators made up a major movie franchise back in the day, and we all admit we've laughed it off. Skin on robots? Not happening!
Well, laugh no more. Standford has created a touch-sensitive, self-healing plastic skin. The skin is a polymer made of plastic and nickel which conducts electricity and can re-bond when cut. The skin took 30 minutes to heal completely after being cut.
Beyond the realm of robots this tech-skin is the future of prosthetics and phones. Lost limbs of the future could be covered by a skin that allows the owner to touch, feel, and heal. Cracked screens could be a thing of the past if the surface was self-repairing.
Not to be outdone, MIT and Rice University have created an ultra-light bullet proof material. Polymer layers of glassy and rubbery substances create a buffer between the protected area and the bullet. Outside of combat this could become impact-resistant shielding material for the space program. After all, we aren't getting to Mars without a few dings along the the way.
And it isn't a stretch of the imagination to combine the two, layer the self-repairing skin of the the nano-light bullet proof vest, and create a super soldier controlled by Skynet.
No comments:
Post a Comment