Synthetic Gecko Feet
The Gecko's ability to seemingly stick to anything was a mystery until just four years ago, when
scientists discovered the reptile’s secret: billions of follicles on its toes that bond atomically with the
surface. In fact, via intermolecular forces, the gecko effectively becomes the surface, be it tree bark or a
hotel-room ceiling in Belize. In July, a British aerospace-and-defense firm announced it had developed a
material with nanoscopic polymide stalks that mimic the lizard’s foot hair. Carnegie Mellon’s Metin Sitti
developed a similar version and wants to see his Gecko Tape in space (astronauts could attach to the
shuttle exterior for repairs), outside your office building (gloved window washers could grip the glass for
support), and on the highway (road-grabbing tires).
--James Ross Gardner
The Ultrasonic Tourniquet
"Deep Bleeders"--internal hemorrhaging from blast and fragmentation injuries--are the number one
cause of preventable U. S. deaths on the battlefield. Researchers are developing a portable cuff that will
use sound waves to locate those wounds and stop them from bleeding. The idea is simple: Low-intensity
ultrasonic beams will pinpoint the injuries, then high-intensity ultrasound will heat the wounds,
coagulating the blood and plugging the leak. The technology works, but a useful field system is still in
development. It needs to be fast (a severed femoral artery can kill in thirty sec onds), lightweight
(soldiers must carry it), rugged (again: it’s war), adaptable (capable of treating everything from a woman’
s arm to a man’s thigh), and foolproof (grunts generally don’t hold med ical degrees). The benefits will
be huge. And unlike physical tourniquets, ultrasound doesn’t com pletely stop blood flow to the
extremities. More hands and feet will be saved.
--Tim Heffernan
Spray-On Concrete
How do you build a house in two days? Spray-on concrete has been around for years, but a new
material takes the technique to another level. Grancrete, a mix of fibers and inorganic materials, is
actually a type of ceramic. It’s stronger and lighter than concrete, it’s waterproof, it’s resistant to salt and
acids, it insulates, it’s fireproof--and it’s also incredibly easy to use. Two workers really can build a
house with it in forty-eight hours; add more workers and you can do it in twelve. Visions of its potential
uses range widely, but one of the favorites of its developer, Arun Wagh, is affordable, vermin-proof
housing in developing nations. Grancrete can be applied to a framework of nearly any material--not just
two-by-fours or foam panels but chicken wire or woven reeds--making it adaptable to conditions almost
anywhere in the world.
--Tim Heffernan
The Thought Reader
Severely paralyzed people have lately been learning to control com puters with their thoughts, using
electrodes implanted in the brain. But a unique new system requires no implants. Users simply don an
EEG cap and a custom-built piece of software translates their brain signals into commands that a home
computer can understand. The result: The disabled can write e-mails and even control simple pros
theses with their thoughts. The system is the brainchild of Dr. Jona than Wolpaw, a research physician
at New York’s Wadsworth Center. It costs about $4,000, and eventually Wolpaw expects it to be widely
available through a nonprofit agency he’s helping create.
--Tim Heffernan
www.esquire.com/features/articles/2006/061107_mfe_Inventions_of_the_Year.html
Next
The Gecko's ability to seemingly stick to anything was a mystery until just four years ago, when
scientists discovered the reptile’s secret: billions of follicles on its toes that bond atomically with the
surface. In fact, via intermolecular forces, the gecko effectively becomes the surface, be it tree bark or a
hotel-room ceiling in Belize. In July, a British aerospace-and-defense firm announced it had developed a
material with nanoscopic polymide stalks that mimic the lizard’s foot hair. Carnegie Mellon’s Metin Sitti
developed a similar version and wants to see his Gecko Tape in space (astronauts could attach to the
shuttle exterior for repairs), outside your office building (gloved window washers could grip the glass for
support), and on the highway (road-grabbing tires).
--James Ross Gardner
The Ultrasonic Tourniquet
"Deep Bleeders"--internal hemorrhaging from blast and fragmentation injuries--are the number one
cause of preventable U. S. deaths on the battlefield. Researchers are developing a portable cuff that will
use sound waves to locate those wounds and stop them from bleeding. The idea is simple: Low-intensity
ultrasonic beams will pinpoint the injuries, then high-intensity ultrasound will heat the wounds,
coagulating the blood and plugging the leak. The technology works, but a useful field system is still in
development. It needs to be fast (a severed femoral artery can kill in thirty sec onds), lightweight
(soldiers must carry it), rugged (again: it’s war), adaptable (capable of treating everything from a woman’
s arm to a man’s thigh), and foolproof (grunts generally don’t hold med ical degrees). The benefits will
be huge. And unlike physical tourniquets, ultrasound doesn’t com pletely stop blood flow to the
extremities. More hands and feet will be saved.
--Tim Heffernan
Spray-On Concrete
How do you build a house in two days? Spray-on concrete has been around for years, but a new
material takes the technique to another level. Grancrete, a mix of fibers and inorganic materials, is
actually a type of ceramic. It’s stronger and lighter than concrete, it’s waterproof, it’s resistant to salt and
acids, it insulates, it’s fireproof--and it’s also incredibly easy to use. Two workers really can build a
house with it in forty-eight hours; add more workers and you can do it in twelve. Visions of its potential
uses range widely, but one of the favorites of its developer, Arun Wagh, is affordable, vermin-proof
housing in developing nations. Grancrete can be applied to a framework of nearly any material--not just
two-by-fours or foam panels but chicken wire or woven reeds--making it adaptable to conditions almost
anywhere in the world.
--Tim Heffernan
The Thought Reader
Severely paralyzed people have lately been learning to control com puters with their thoughts, using
electrodes implanted in the brain. But a unique new system requires no implants. Users simply don an
EEG cap and a custom-built piece of software translates their brain signals into commands that a home
computer can understand. The result: The disabled can write e-mails and even control simple pros
theses with their thoughts. The system is the brainchild of Dr. Jona than Wolpaw, a research physician
at New York’s Wadsworth Center. It costs about $4,000, and eventually Wolpaw expects it to be widely
available through a nonprofit agency he’s helping create.
--Tim Heffernan
www.esquire.com/features/articles/2006/061107_mfe_Inventions_of_the_Year.html
Next
Inventbot, inventing new creatures
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