32 replies to this topic

[Sweeney]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67H1eZBHiDQ

Watch the video first, it's only 30 seconds. I promise you it'll be worth it.

Spoiler

The MIT university team came up with LiquiGlide, a 'super-slippery' coating which makes the insides of the bottle so frictionless that the sludgy goo inside just slides out like water.

The results are astonishing - and any burger and chips fan out there should prepare to be amazed.

MIT PhD candidate Dave Smith and his team of mechanical engineers and nano-technologists at the Varanasi Research Group spent two months devising a solution.

Burger fan Smith said: 'We were really interested in - and still are - using this coating for anti-icing, or for preventing clogs that form in oil and gas lines, or for non-wetting applications like, say, on windshields.

'Somehow this sparked the idea of putting it in food bottles - it could be great just for its slippery properties.

'Plus, most of these other applications have a much longer time to market - we realised we could make this coating for bottles that is pretty much ready. I mean, it is ready, as you can see.

'We had a limited amount of materials to pick from - I can't say what they are, but we've patented the hell out of it.'

Naturally, the team had to research their market before getting to work.

Smith, who is is pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering and a minor in entrepreneurship, and already holds nine patents, told the FastCo website: 'It was never really a personal pain point for me, but I do hate struggling to get sauce out of the bottles.

'I didn't know about the tapping of the '57' until I started looking into this. It was all news to me.

'We have all types of sauces, jellies, and jams everywhere in our lab - It's like a closet full of condiments.'

So why did the team pick sauces for their award-winning product?

Dave said: 'It's funny: Everyone is always like, "Why bottles? What's the big deal?"

'But then you tell them the market for bottles - just the sauces alone is a $17billion market.

'And if all those bottles had our coating, we estimate that we could save about one million tons of food from being thrown out every year.'

The secret ingredient to the liquid coating is a heavily-guarded secret, but the team promise it is non-toxic and will be FDA approved.

Now, hasn't this just changed everything?

[redlion]

I'd say that the other applications for the technology are more useful (anti-icing on planes, windshield coating, lubricating oil and gas lines, etc).

But yeah, the video did a good job of illustrating it's usefulness.

[Waser Lave]

Well it's about damn time...

[Irradium]

Pretty sweet.
Like redlion said, there are areas where this would be better appreciated, but still, this is amazing!

The only problem I can see with it is that how do we know that the materials that make the coating are in plentiful supply?
Of course, we can assume that, but what if it becomes a 'big' thing, and is used in everything that you can find some use for it? Remember, crude oil was a new, evolutionary material some decades back - but look where we are now.

[Waser Lave]

Pretty sweet.
Like redlion said, there are areas where this would be better appreciated, but still, this is amazing!

The only problem I can see with it is that how do we know that the materials that make the coating are in plentiful supply?
Of course, we can assume that, but what if it becomes a 'big' thing, and is used in everything that you can find some use for it? Remember, crude oil was a new, evolutionary material some decades back - but look where we are now.

Given that they're using nano technology I don't think we need to be too concerned about the materials involved from a supply perspective.

[trizzle]

Sweet! This is going to make the most kick-ass sledges

[Jewbert]

Awesome! I agree, its usefulness in cars will be great. I already use Rain X on my windshield, so I wonder if it would be anything like that where the water beads up and glides off.

Also, no more wasted condiments! Woooo!!!

[Nymh]

Ketchup still comes in glass bottles?

[Jewbert]

Ketchup still comes in glass bottles?

Dood. I was wondering the same thing. Even at a lot of restaurants, they refill plastic bottles. I can't remember the last time I saw glass bottles.
I guess it's the same concept for plastic containers too, though.

[Sweeney]

No glass?
Plebians.

[iargue]

No glass?
Plebians.

Did you mean Plebeians?

[luvsmyncis]

Given that they're using nano technology I don't think we need to be too concerned about the materials involved from a supply perspective.

But in 10 years will they find out it's giving Ketchup lovers everywhere cancer?? *frets*

Really cool, though. I always have a fucking hard time scraping the last bit of Pace Picante sauce out of their fucking womanly bottles.

[trizzle]

But in 10 years will they find out it's giving Ketchup lovers everywhere cancer?? *frets*

Really cool, though. I always have a fucking hard time scraping the last bit of Pace Picante sauce out of their fucking womanly bottles.

Ahahah that bottle inspired me...and I was bored...so um this happened

Spoiler

..what am I doing with my life :L

[Junsu]

FUTURE COLLEGE HERE I COME
I heard the hard part was making it edible :<

[Bone]

Ahahah that bottle inspired me...and I was bored...so um this happened

Spoiler

..what am I doing with my life :L

Are those six pack abs or breasts with long, segmented nipples?

[trizzle]

Are those six pack abs or breasts with long, segmented nipples?

I was going for a six pack but if a lesbian sauce scene suits you better by all means think of them as crazy tits.

[Turnip]

Wouldn't that add a really weird taste to the ketchup/whatever else though??

I don't want to eat lube-flavoured ketchup..

[Elindoril]

Wouldn't that add a really weird taste to the ketchup/whatever else though??

I don't want to eat lube-flavoured ketchup..

Well, what if they don't use lube...

[luvsmyncis]

Spoiler

..what am I doing with my life :L

I don't know, but keep doing it.
And I'm laughing even harder because I keep mistaking your posts for Frizzle.

[Jewbert]

But in 10 years will they find out it's giving Ketchup lovers everywhere cancer?? *frets*

Really cool, though. I always have a fucking hard time scraping the last bit of Pace Picante sauce out of their fucking womanly bottles.

I loathe bottles like this. >__<

Wouldn't that add a really weird taste to the ketchup/whatever else though??

I don't want to eat lube-flavoured ketchup..

I also wondered if it would somehow give the food a different taste, even if extremely minor. Or like, a different texture or leave residue if some of it leaked into whatever is in the container. O__O

[Applepi]

I would assume its been tested enough and tweaked enough so that it doesn't effect the taste or texture of the condiment. The last part of the article thing did say they were going for FDA approval which would make it safer to use with food products, I'm just concerned with long term consequences.... what if its the next BPA?

[WharfRat]

I don't know, but keep doing it.
And I'm laughing even harder because I keep mistaking your posts for Frizzle.

Haha! Same. Thing. I was thinking "Wow... Lee must have a little too much time on his hands these days... "

[silentarbitor]

MIT represent! Its weird how I keep seeing news about my college almost everyday from the least expected sites. I'm a freshman there at the moment (:

[luvsmyncis]

MIT represent! Its weird how I keep seeing news about my college almost everyday from the least expected sites. I'm a freshman there at the moment (:

Awesome. Now get me some ketchup.

[Turnip]

Well, what if they don't use lube...

O-oh my goodness are we thinking of the same thing
kjghkd