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Microbes Turn Waste into Plastic

Genetically engineered microbial cells may be used to produce new polymers. Photo: Linda Stewart, istockphoto.com  As petroleum-based plastics become more expensive with the increased cost of fossil...

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Smart Sand

10mm smart pebbles with microprocessors and magnets. Photo by M. Scott Brauer.  The interface between analog and digital realms is a territory that continues to expand in potential. Once constrained...

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Making Trains Lighter

A train diesel engine housing made of a polyurethane-based composite. Image by Fraunhofer ICT.  The path to resouce efficiency can take many directions. In the transportation sector, lightness rules....

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Terraforming with Paper

Daniele Papuli, Cartoframma, 2011  One proven method of producing provocative art installations is through a process of material assemblage. Artists like Tara Donovan and Tokujin Yoshioka have received...

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A Practical Use for Oobleck

Students fill a pothole with non-Newtonian fluid. Photo: Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer  Remember playing with oobleck in science lab? The strange material that can shift between liquid and solid...

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A Glipse Into the Future of Light

"I.Rain" OLED system by Thierry Gaugain, 2012  Although they are not yet widely available to the consumer, Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) represent a promising imminent future for lighting. OLED...

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The Age of the Pavilion?

Netscape Pavilion by Oyler Wu Collaborative, 2011  Every design field has its version of racing. In the automotive industry, racing plays an important role not only in providing a venue for...

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A Visit to the Material World

Material World exhibit on opening night. Photo courtesy of the Danish Architecture Center.  I recently had the opportunity to give a talk at the Danish Architecture Center in a symposium connected to...

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A Tale of Two Materials (Exhibits)

A glimpse at the material sample room in Hello Materials, at the Danish Design Center.  While in Copenhagen for the Danish Architecture Center symposium and exhibition "Material World," I also had a...

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The Importance of Industrial Hothouses

Image courtesy of The Economist  The topics of digital fabrication and advanced manufacturing are nothing new, but a recent report in The Economist—which highlights these trends under the sweeping...

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Putting New Spins on Brick

The Brick Loft building, showing custom-designed ventilation blocks. Image courtesy of Farm.  In Louis Kahn's parable of the brick, a brick "tells" Kahn how it should be used to create architecture ("I...

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New Display Mimics Structural Color in Nature

New structural color display and its morpho butterfly inspiration. Photo courtesy of KAIST.  Structural color is a natural phenomenon in which color is produced by the optical interference of light...

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Loudspeakers in Print

Demonstration of a printed speaker. Image courtesy of Technische Universität Chemnitz.  In the early 20th century, Belgian artist René Magritte created The Treachery of Images, a painting that depicts...

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Making Better Asphalt with Nanoclays

Undesirable ruts in asphalt roadbeds. Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech.  As summer road crews get to work filling ruts and potholes, we are reminded of the shortcomings of modern asphalt. Although one...

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Researchers Use Viruses to Harness Power

A piezoelectric device powered by viruses. Photo courtesy of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.  Piezoelectric power harvesting has drawn much attention, given its ability to generate...

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