Now you can be both rubber and glue:
Rubber and steel are at different ends of the spectrum when it comes to hardness, and wherever an object falls on that scale is typically where it will stay. But researchers at the University of Michigan have now developed a metamaterial that can change the stiffness of its surface, from hard to soft and back, in response to a small amount of stress.
As artificial materials that can be finely tuned for a specific purpose, metamaterials can do some pretty incredible things that you won't find in nature. Interestingly, what they're made of doesn't seem to matter: instead, their attributes stem from their structure, and by manipulating that, engineers can develop metamaterials that could replace optic lenses, make objects effectively invisible, or create vehicle parts that are both very strong and very light.
The University of Michigan team says its new metamaterial specializes in switching its surface between hard and soft states. Applying a small amount of strain allows that stiffness to be changed by several orders of magnitude, without damaging or weakening the material itself.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 25 2017, @05:01PM
This looks like interesting research, but until car dashboards and steering wheels are shaped like airbags, there isn't much point in making them extra soft. It's not just that the airbag is soft, it's also right next to your body and head to catch you and give you a nice "relatively-low-acceleration" ride as your body matches the new vehicle velocity (during a crash).
(Score: 2) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Wednesday January 25 2017, @05:06PM
Yeah, I was thinking: why would you want your car to explode on contact?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 25 2017, @06:26PM
I drive a Formula One car, you insensitive clod.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday January 25 2017, @05:24PM
I thought the headline was inspiring.
A car could be its own air bag.
Next, I want an aircraft to be its own air sickness bag.
Infinity is clearly an even number since the next higher number is odd.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday January 25 2017, @05:56PM
I have good news *bleeaaeahrrggh*
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Nerdfest on Wednesday January 25 2017, @05:29PM
Still, not having dashes, steering wheels,etc, that will absorb impact as well is an added bonus. Also great for passengers that don't have airbags.
(Score: 3, Funny) by EvilSS on Wednesday January 25 2017, @05:44PM
what they're made of doesn't seem to matter
OK, make it out of room temperature butter.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 25 2017, @07:32PM
I smell a profit angle from car co's. If the dashboard is an airbag equivalent, and you get into an accident, the dashboard will probably get messed up to some degree. And the car co's will charge an arm and leg to replace the dashboards since they need these "space age" materials to make them soft. Airbags are cheaper to replace.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday January 25 2017, @10:55PM
In most instances, airbag deployment is a good indicator that you aren't going to replace anything in the car.
Between the airbag cost and whatever structural damage caused the deployment, insurances are quick to total the car...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 25 2017, @08:49PM
I've been in 4 accidents, airbags have never deployed.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 25 2017, @10:37PM
> I've been in 4 accidents, airbags have never deployed.
Lucky you, they are expensive to replace...and here in NY State they have to be replaced to pass the annual safety inspection (required to get/keep license plates).
I'm assuming your accidents were fender benders, at low speed.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 26 2017, @04:12AM
One of them was a fender bender, on the others the car was smashed in nearly to the windshield on one, hit the sidewall of the freeway side on, and one I nearly got t boned, but it was more like L.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 26 2017, @04:26AM
This is interesting, that much damage seems like you should have seen airbags firing...in at least one or two of the crashes you describe. As someone else noted, congrats on still being here.
How old was your car(s) at the time of the accident(s)?
Are you in a climate that promotes corrosion (salty water near ocean, or winter road salt) such that parts of the airbag electronics could be non-working due to bad connectors?
Airbags are not perfect (I saw an early test crash, c.1975, where they all failed to work), but they do have a pretty good reliability record now (excluding Takata!!)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 25 2017, @11:14PM
And you lived, so clearly the airbags weren't needed.
(Score: 4, Funny) by wonkey_monkey on Wednesday January 25 2017, @09:56PM
from hard to soft [...] in response to a small amount of stress.
I know the feeling.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Wednesday January 25 2017, @10:05PM
Just fill the car body with that goop that is a liquid until squeezed or hit: I dunno... It's made with corn starch or something.
Once the accident is over, the dogs can come pick you clean!
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. I have always been here. ---Gaaark 2.0 --
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 25 2017, @11:01PM
You want it soft and squishy and able to absorb energy when an impact happens (rapid change).
You want it rigid the rest of the time.
A non-Newtonian fluid is the opposite of that.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 25 2017, @11:17PM
Sadly your brain isn't made of that stuff so it would go splat against your skull. Maybe leak out your eye sockets? When are the Myth Busters going to do an episode on that. How much force would it take to expel your brain though your eyes?