Pushing the boundaries of 3-D printing, MIT and Stratasys have teamed up to create fibrous masks for Bjork. Yes, she’s at it again. Using material ecology (the fusion of science, design and biology) to produce materials of collogen fibres emulating bone, muscle and hair in various opacities. Molded precisely to Bjork’s head, it moves in perfect syncronicity.
photos: Santiago Felipe
Watch the absolutely AMAZING R+D at Nike: via Nike is opening an exhibition in Milan | Dazed
As the year begins, there are two developments worth noting that will have profound repercussions down the road:
The Stanford school of medicine have developed a technique to lengthen the ‘telomeres’ which are the end caps to our DNA and serve to protect and divide the cells. As we age, the number diminishes and weakens from an optimum range of 8,000 to 10,000 nucleotides that make up the average youth. This process extends the telomeres by a 1,000 nucleotides or the equivalent of numerous human years. This may prove disruptive in the treatment of numerous diseases and possibly in rejuvenating cells as a way to slow down the aging process. Only time will tell… Read more at: http://stanford.io/1Kqp0Vr
Researchers photos Inc.
Graphene has been introduced to various industries but this particular application from the crew at the University of Manchester and of Sheffield will allow LED light to be emitted over a surface of only a few molecular layers thick, thus allowing for a new generation of FLEXIBLE and semi-transparent electronic screens. This is due to the heterostructure of the material, its superb conductivity and strength, incredibly at only 10-40 atoms thick!
3D printing continues to take small leaps and bounds as adventurers literally spin out innovative adaptations like that of Nervous Systems, Massachusetts and their kinematically designed frock. Made from over 2200 modular, triangular pieces that move individually allowing fluid, fabric like motion. 21st Century chainmail. So wonderfully innovative that MoMa NYC has bought it to place in their museum. Printed through Shapeways, it involved ‘folding’ the stl. file within the parameters of printing capacity. A remarkable, technological feat that is equally delicate and beautiful.
Scientists from MIT have developed new materials as light as aerogel only 10,000 times harder and may soon revolutionize chassis for automobiles, aerospace and other tech industries. Its secret lies in the structure at a molecular level that is 3D printed using a method called,micro-stereolithography that form lattice structures that withstand much more than their porous structure. 160.000 times more to be precise. Brave new world, indeed. Read more here: MIT
Professor Andrew Mills and Dr Michael McFarlane, from the University of Stratchclyde, Scotland has come up with an ingenious invention with this colourful paper bracelet that changes from yellow to pink when UV rays have reached safe limits. The acid in the paper degrades and changes colour. There is a range of bands depending on skin tones and their limits. Swedish-based Intellego Technology is commercializing it with a launch for spring 2013. The simplest ideas are often the best, after all.
Milan’s architectural firm, Santambrogiomilano, has come up with a new line aptly named, Simplicity. It is a collaboration between founder Carlo Santambrogio and designer Ennio Arosio that features iconic furniture pieces, beds, sofas and bookcases, all encased within an amazing concept home complet with architectural elements such as staircases and kitchens, all executed in ‘extraclear’ glass. As the briefing states:
‘SIMPLICITY is realized in extraclear glass by Saint Gobain, tempered and stratified, named Diamant for its
characteristics of extreme purity and brilliancy. It is interpreted in a unique way with the use of important
thicknesses (30 mm) and treated with special technical procedures to guarantee total security.’
Amazing result for the ultimate exhibitionist.
Interesting angle to lipstick with the introduction of, “Rose Infusion” where the wearer dictates the individual shade of pink according to heat.
An innovative approach to textile technology is unfolding with this technique that harnesses nature’s forces.
“BioCouture is a research project harnessing nature to propose a radical future fashion vision. We are investigating the use of microbial-cellulose, grown in a laboratory, to produce clothing. Our ultimate goal is to literally grow a dress in a vat of liquid…The material is nearest in feel to a vegetable leather and, like your vegetable peelings, it can be safely composted when you no longer want it.”
Suzanne Lee is Director of the project and a Senior Research Fellow at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. She is collaborating with scientists to unite design with cutting edge bio and nano-technologies.
BioCouture is investigating the use of microbes to grow a textile biomaterial. Certain bacteria will spin microfibrils of pure cellulose during fermentation which form a dense layer that can be harvested and dried. To a sugary green tea solution they add a mixed culture of bacterial cellulose, yeasts and other microorganisms to produce a flexible cellulose mat. The bacteria feed on the sugar and spin fine threads of cellulose. As these start to stick together they form a skin on the liquids surface. After two to three weeks, when it is approximately 1.5cm thick, they remove the cellulose skin from the growth bath. They can then either use it wet to mold onto a 3D form, like a dress shape, or dry it flat and then cut and sew it into a garment.
Lee is the author of ‘Fashioning The Future: tomorrow’s wardrobe’ published by Thames & Hudson.http://www.biocouture.co.uk/
Utilizing the aerodynamic properties of the humble golf ball, Nike’s engineers are pioneering this innovative tracksuit that reportedly shaves off micro seconds from performances. .023 seconds to be exact. That would be the possible equivalent of a higher placing when one talks of sprinting, so that is something very interesting to consider. Relying on the principle that explains the convex dimpled pattern found on a golf ball. These help balls travel further as they create low pressure turbulence in the boundary layer on the wind-facing side of the ball as it glides through the air, creating less drag behind the ball. Nike is calling them, “surface architectures”. panels are added to the areas that create most resistance such as the arms and legs. The result is also visually sleek and intimidating.
A University of Exeter team has discovered a lightweight, flexible and transparent material for conducting electricity.
The new material, called GraphExeter, could transform the electronics industry with the development of wearable electronic devices, such as clothing containing computers, MP3 players and phones. GraphExeter can be used for creating windows or smart mirrors along with computerized interactive characteristics.
Graphene, a one-atom-thick substance, is the thinnest material that can conduct electricity. It is flexible as well as one of the strongest materials. For quite some time, engineers and scientists have been on the race to adapt graphene for electronics. This process has been a challenging one for them due to its sheet resistance, which confines its conductivity.
The Exeter team compressed ferric chloride molecules between two sheets of graphene in order to create GraphExeter as a possible alternative to ITO. The team is now working on creating a spray-on version of the material that can be applied onto windows, mirrors and fabrics.
Dr Monica Craciun, the lead researcher at University of Exeter, said that GraphExeter can redefine the electronics industry. He also said that the material outperforms other types of carbon-based transparent conductor utilized in electronics and can be used for different applications.
The research findings on GraphExeter are published in the journal called Advanced Materials.
By Cameron Chai
Source: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/
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