Science & Technology

Material makes items invisible to the touch

By T.K. Randall
June 26, 2014 ·  19 comments

The new material has unique touch-dampening properties. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 2.0 D. Sharon Pruitt Even the thinnest layer of this remarkable polymer seems to be effective at stopping someone from being able to feel what's there either with their fingers or with a force measuring device.

Developed by scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, the material is built from thousands of needle-shaped cones that allow it to adapt and absorb the shape of anything hidden beneath it."It is like in Hans-Christian Andersen's fairy tale about the princess and the pea," said project scientist Tiemo Bückmann. "The princess feels the pea in spite of the mattresses. When using our new material, however, one mattress would be sufficient for the princess to sleep well."

The material was originally developed for experimental purposes but the team is hopeful that it will go on to serve in a variety of practical applications within the next few years.

Source: Gizmodo | Comments (19)

Tags: Touch, Invisible