Scientists Invent Smartphone Screen Material That Can Repair Its Own Scratches (ibtimes.co.uk) 55
drunkdrone quotes a report from International Business Times: Researchers say they have developed a new material that could pave the way for self-repairing smartphones, robots and other electronic devices. Scientists from the American Chemical Society claim that the material, which can stretch up to 50 times its usual size, is able to heal itself "like nothing has happened" even when cut in two. The material is flexible, transparent and shares similar properties to human skin. When exposed to electrical signals, a current is generated that creates a chemical bonding reaction between molecules. The most obvious applications for electronics devices seems to be self-healing displays, although lead researcher Dr Chao Wang is also exploring the possibility of a self-healing lithium-ion battery. While the technology is similar to the hydrogen-infused rear cover found on the LG G Flex, which allows for small scratches to be healed, the material developed by the American Medical Society is a completely new innovation that can "automatically stitch itself back together" within one day of being sliced into pieces. The team will present its research at a Tuesday meeting of the American Chemical Society, according to Business Insider.
Well... (Score:2, Funny)
Can it at least be bargained with?
....listen...and understand...... (Score:2)
it can't be bargained with, it can't be reasoned with....
it doesn't understand pity....or remorse.....or fear....
and it absolutely will not stop.....EVER.....until you are dead
Re: (Score:2)
it can't be bargained with, it can't be reasoned with.... it doesn't understand pity....or remorse.....or fear.... and it absolutely will not stop.....EVER.....until you are dead
Not to be picky, but that was said about the original Arnie Terminator, not the self-repairing one in Terminator 2 played by Robert Patrick.
Re: (Score:2)
Are you implying that with the T2 revision, they installed the ability to be bargained and reasoned with, an understanding of pity, remorse, and fear, and programmed it to eventually stop even if I'm not dead?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Humanoid robots (Score:2)
In theory, use this on humanoid robots and they could become self-healing.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
They say: "like nothing has happened". Note that skin heals without scars for benign scratches. Maybe this doesn't work at all for deep or straight through scratches and works like skin for small ones...
Re: What about 'Scarring'? (Score:1)
Not in healthy kids and some adults it doesn't,I have only started scaring in the last 15 years,and I'm 57,and because I'm an adventurous type who has done various dangerous sports and jobs,I should be smothered in scars,but even realy big wounds,like removing most of the skin/flesh from my foot ankle in the back wheel of a motorbike when I was 8 only ever left one small scar,and that bit got an infection,I do have lots of little scars all over my body,but considering the number and size injuries I have had
Re: What about 'Scarring'? (Score:4, Funny)
I fight grizzly bears as a hobby and I have no scars whatsoever despite having both arms bitten off at one point.
I guess we're cut from the same cloth, eh?
Re: (Score:2)
I fight grizzly bears as a hobby and I have no scars whatsoever despite having both arms bitten off at one point.
I guess we're cut from the same cloth, eh?
It's just a flesh wound.
How does it do on cracks? Capacitive displays? (Score:2)
If they can cut the material into pieces and then have it "stitch" itself together, then can it be expected to fix cracks?
I rarely see problem scratches on phone displays, but I often see cracked glass that people are trying to keep going until they can get a new phone - what happens in this situation?
The other question I would have is does this material work with capacitive displays?
myke
Re:How does it do on cracks? Capacitive displays? (Score:4, Interesting)
If they can cut the material into pieces and then have it "stitch" itself together, then can it be expected to fix cracks?
I rarely see problem scratches on phone displays, but I often see cracked glass that people are trying to keep going until they can get a new phone - what happens in this situation?
The other question I would have is does this material work with capacitive displays?
myke
The question that I have is just how hard this new material is? The reason why gorilla glass does so well against scratches is because of it's hardness index. A material that can heal itself with a charge would, by definition, be relatively soft and thus scratched more often.
Also, they don't go into what happens to dirt and oils that might be on the material and in the cracks/scratches. Does it force it out (i.e. repair from below), or does it heal over top of it? This is important because if it heals over top of dirt, etc. then the scratch may go away but eventually the screen will become permanently dirty. This is fine for case materials but I don't see it working well for screens.
nice (Score:2)
this is cool...
this is real, valuable R&D research
imho, companies spend way too much on marketing and not enough on R&D
Re: (Score:1)
Maybe you just don't hear enough about all the R&D because they're not paying enough to their marketing department. ...It could happen.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Should the need arise, this "smart" material is actually able to remove itself from the phone, affix proper postage and mail itself back to the manufacturer!
Number one application: terrible pranks (Score:2, Insightful)
1. Get a bit of this material
2. Cut into shape of a dick
3. Put on friend's phone
4. Zap until the dick "heals" into the screen
5. Screen now has permanent dick bulge
Bonding to itself, and .... (Score:4, Interesting)
The big issue for adoption is... what other things will it bond to in the user's pocket?
According to TFA, this is a very flexible material. I have seen cell phone cases made of flexible silicone - they attract lint and dust as if the phone had been covered with double-sided tape.
Been done already (Score:2)
The Galaxy Note 7 had this...... the fire usually got so hot, it would melt the glass. No scratches left after that.
Yeah, sure, there were a few downsides, but there usually are with prototypes.
This means that the T1000 will be made of (Score:2)
It'll never be made publicly available (Score:1)
Fuck cellphones. This will revolutionize eye care. (Score:4, Insightful)
Apply this to glasses as an alternative scratch coating, and use 2-part metal frames. Supply a simple "healing" cradle to put the glasses on at night.
Never have scratched lenses again.
Fuck the damn iphone. This would be fantastic in eye-wear.
Re: (Score:2)
Apply this to glasses as an alternative scratch coating, and use 2-part metal frames. Supply a simple "healing" cradle to put the glasses on at night.
Never have scratched lenses again.
Fuck the damn iphone. This would be fantastic in eye-wear.
Not a paid shill by any means, but I opted for Crizal coating on my glasses many years ago. I've never had a scratch on my lenses since, and like the usual eyeglass wearer, that's 2-3 years of use and abuse per pair.
Re: (Score:2)
No shit, fuckwad. What they have are metal frames, which is how you energize the fucking lenses when you put them on the healing cradle at night. (You know, because it supplies an electrical current to the glasses when you aren't wearing them, so the coating can do its thing?)
If you had read what I had written, you would have caught that, but instead you were too busy smoking a dick or something. But thanks anyway, and thanks for trying. Here is your millennial participation trophy. (Yes, it is gilded dogs
Brilliant stupidity. (Score:4, Insightful)
Scientists invent an amazing material that can easily repair itself, and the best application we can think of, is on a device that gets thrown away and replaced every other year.
This is like finding a cure for cancer and choosing to cure cows with it, just so we can turn them into hamburger.
I guess there is an upside. Snow Flake won't have to worry about a scratch on her precious cell phone marring her narcissistic shell.
Re: (Score:2)
OK, asshole, what would you do with it? Please, don't be selfish. Share your brilliance with us lowly peasants.
From eyeglasses to large windows in your home, I can think of a few applications where a product is considerably more expensive to repair, and you keep a hell of a lot longer than 2-3 years.
Re: (Score:2)
a device that gets thrown away and replaced every other year.
You obviously haven't used a mobile phone recently, if at all. In the early days of smartphones, yearly replacements were quite common because this was a period of rapid development with next year's phones being far better the previous years. In the last 4 years things have stabilized. My last phone lasted 3.5 years. You're out of touch, grandpa.
Speaking of out of touch, phones 4 years ago used to have this concept of a replaceable battery. Also known as the main component driving replacement.
Product support usually comes secondary to this fact, and that assumes the average user gives a shit about being secure with relevant patches and updates (hint: they don't).
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah! You tell those cell phone using cucks! With their participation trophies and whatnot! Right guys??!!??!!
Take it down a notch, would you? Commercialism drives innovation, which means that developments that have a viable, marketable commercial application are the ones that get funding. There will be other applications for this cool new material. There's no reason to get mad about it being used
So when I'm texting (Score:2)
Zapped!!!! (Score:2)
And during a thunderstorm, we find that all of our phones have fused together. The point is: unless this material can be CONTROLLED, we may find that any stray electrical energy will caused unexpected results that we may not find pleasing.
Re: (Score:2)
If you fall asleep with the phone in your hand.... (Score:2)