Next Big Thing – electro grip plastic
Your mobile could soon switch from smooth to grippy in an instant thanks to a new plastic discovery
Electro plastic? Sounds like a crappy superhero.
Funny you should say that – this stuff could turn you into Spider-Man. Developed by Xuanhe Zhao at Duke University, electro plastic is a new type of polymer that can change its surface texture in less than a second when it’s electrically charged. So you could have a pair of gloves with a surface that changes from a silky smooth finish to grippy textured plastic in an instant. Okay, you might not be able to climb walls with it just yet, but give it time.
Sweet but I’m never going to get my, ahem, hands on that kind of technology.
Don’t be so pessimistic – this tech is perfect for mobile devices. Imagine an iPhone 5 that switches from a smooth surface when it’s at rest, to a textured surface when you pick it up – it’d save a few smashed screens.
What else could you do with this tech besides creating grippy surfaces in an instant?
Well, we recently reported on a new technology that adapts screens so you can feel rough and smooth textures. That company was bought by Apple – and the iPad 3 was rumoured to be Feel sensitive. Perhaps this new polymer could be combined with Apple’s rumoured Feel tech in time for the iPad 4. Imagine touching a picture of corrugated steel and feeling your finger bounce along the surface.
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Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
