World’s first instant-tint glasses change shade at the touch of a button

Chamelo, which has former NBA player Stephon Marbury as brand ambassador, has launched two types of lenses – Dusk, which switches through various levels of tints on command, and Prismatic, which can change colors. Both can be controlled by hand, or by … Continue reading World’s first instant-tint glasses change shade at the touch of a button

New rubbery film rockets into the air like a grasshopper

In a serendipitous discovery, engineers at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) have developed a material that first deforms and then shoots into the air when it is heated. The researchers say the material could one day be used to help soft … Continue reading New rubbery film rockets into the air like a grasshopper

New shock-absorbing material as strong as metal but light as foam

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have developed a new shock-absorbing material that is super lightweight, yet offers the protection of metal. The stuff could make for helmets, armor and vehicle parts that are lighter, stronger and, importantly, … Continue reading New shock-absorbing material as strong as metal but light as foam

Radio wave-activated artificial skin absorbs and releases liquids

In the not-too-distant future, we may see wound dressings that default to absorbing bodily fluids, while also releasing medication on demand. The same material could allow robots to cool themselves by sweating.Continue ReadingCategory: Materials, Scien… Continue reading Radio wave-activated artificial skin absorbs and releases liquids

New phase of liquid crystal opens door to “new universe of materials”

More than 100 years after a pair of imaginative physicists first proposed a new phase of liquid crystal, scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder have managed to produce it and have been left “stunned” by its behavior. This new “ferroelectric n… Continue reading New phase of liquid crystal opens door to “new universe of materials”

Thermochromic Display Tells You the Temperature Despite Your Current Mood

Readers who survived the 1970s will no doubt remember the “mood ring” fad, where a liquid crystal mounted to a ring would magically reveal your current emotional state to all and sundry by changing color. This nifty thermochromic display is based on the same principle, and while it might not …read more

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Monochrome CRT and Liquid Crystal Shutter Team Up for Color Video

If you were tasked with designing a color video monitor, it’s pretty clear how you’d go about it. But what if you’d been asked to do so 20 years ago? Would it have been a cut and dried from an engineering standpoint? Apparently not, as this hybrid LCD-CRT video monitor …read more

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The Thermochromic Display You Didn’t Know You Needed

We love unique ways of displaying data here at Hackaday, and this ingenious thermochromic display created by [Moritz v. Sivers] more than fits the bill. Using sheets of color changing liquid crystals and careful temperature control of the plates they’re mounted on, he’s built a giant seven-segment display that can …read more

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