Top Five Materials...From The Future!

We don't often stop and consider materials in our day to day lives,  but they impact our lives more than almost any other scientific field.

From the plastic in your cup to the glass in the window, these elements have quite literally built the world around you, and there is so much more to discover and invent!

Read on and look over these images of the new materials and processes creeping into our lives.



5. Translucent Concrete

Concrete buildings are known for their strength and stability, rather the cold darkness they make us feel. But then, translucent concrete started to make its way on to the scene.

Translucent concrete is mixed with glass fiber strands, which then is moulded into the common concrete we know.  'LitraCon', the concrete is called, can be used in flooring, walls and pavement.

It cast shadows, lets in light and gives an opaqueness to a former dark room.

4. SensiTile


In our house, we have various pathways to take. From the kitchen to the dining room, bedroom to the toilet. But SensiTile makes these pathways a tad more enjoyable.

As you walk along the kitchen, to go to the sink perhaps, the floor lights up and twinkles to guide your path  the dark room.

The concrete of the tiles is embedded with acrylic fiber-optic channels that transfer light from one point to another. As shadows move across Terrazzo's surface, the light channels flicker with a randomized, twinkling effect.





3. Kinetic Glass

We have all opened a window when we are too warm, left the room and come back later to a room that is too cold, wouldn't it be better if that window knew we had left the room and closed?

 This is where Kinetic Glass is different. The surface is embedded with wires that contract to electrical stimulus. This then causes 'Gill' like openings to contract, letting in fresh air and monitoring the Co2 levels around you.



2. Richlite

It wouldn't seem logical to create a counter surface from paper, but with slight adjustments it shows how even the simplest materials can be sustainable creating something completely different. 

70% of the counter is made with recycled paper. The counter tops are then treated with a resin, and then baked to create solid sheets. 



1. Self repairing Cement.

Pot holes could soon be a thing of the past, by this self repairing cement stopping them from developing at the first sign of a crack.

This cement is mixed with microcapsules that release a glue-like epoxy resin that will automatically repair any cracks that form in the path or road


Research took from http://www.technewsdaily.com/5056-future-building-materials.html