Comments on: Japanese Researchers Invent Elastic Water http://inhabitat.com/japanese-researchers-make-elastic-plastic-out-of-water/ Green design & eco innovation for a better world Fri, 24 May 2013 19:53:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: ap http://inhabitat.com/japanese-researchers-make-elastic-plastic-out-of-water/comment-page-1/#comment-234867 ap Sun, 20 Jun 2010 20:23:22 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=113114#comment-234867 If it is like other "plastic" materials, isn't that the point, replacing the need for petroleum based products? If it is like other “plastic” materials, isn’t that the point, replacing the need for petroleum based products?

]]> By: john_doe77 http://inhabitat.com/japanese-researchers-make-elastic-plastic-out-of-water/comment-page-1/#comment-222541 john_doe77 Sun, 02 May 2010 10:35:36 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=113114#comment-222541 "...made up of 95% water along with two grams of clay..." Independent of the size? What does the remaining 48 grams consist of if you make 1 kilogram with that recipe? I'm just tired of people mixing absolute units with relative units :) “…made up of 95% water along with two grams of clay…”
Independent of the size? What does the remaining 48 grams consist of if you make 1 kilogram with that recipe?
I’m just tired of people mixing absolute units with relative units :)

]]> By: vulcantourist http://inhabitat.com/japanese-researchers-make-elastic-plastic-out-of-water/comment-page-1/#comment-222501 vulcantourist Sun, 02 May 2010 06:44:39 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=113114#comment-222501 @falala: Your initial statement simply isn't true. I dare you to leave some rotting organic matter in plastic food storage containers for 6 months to a year and bet me $1000 that it won't "eat" the plastic. You'll find some pitting in the plastic where fungi or something has eaten away at the plastic, and you'll be out a thousand bucks. I'll send you a thank-you note for my new iPad. @falala: Your initial statement simply isn’t true. I dare you to leave some rotting organic matter in plastic food storage containers for 6 months to a year and bet me $1000 that it won’t “eat” the plastic. You’ll find some pitting in the plastic where fungi or something has eaten away at the plastic, and you’ll be out a thousand bucks. I’ll send you a thank-you note for my new iPad.

]]> By: VulcanTourist http://inhabitat.com/japanese-researchers-make-elastic-plastic-out-of-water/comment-page-1/#comment-222499 VulcanTourist Sun, 02 May 2010 06:38:29 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=113114#comment-222499 The material I already mentioned, used in medical dressings and potting soil and other applications, actually already does dry to something plastic. In the case of the Spenco gel pads, when one dries out it leaves a thin plastic sheet and mesh behind; the stuff was originally marketed years ago for burns (and I used it on bicycle road rash) but later downgraded to blister treatment, apparently due to packaging limitations and lack of sterility that would be required by the FDA(?) for burn treatment products. Seriously, just Google "Spenco gel" or "potting soil crystals"; where have you guys been that you've never seen this stuff? What these people have developed is just incremental or lateral innovation, not some big new discovery, so yeah, this news is mostly hype to help them find a corporate sugardaddy to license their pending questionable patent. The material I already mentioned, used in medical dressings and potting soil and other applications, actually already does dry to something plastic. In the case of the Spenco gel pads, when one dries out it leaves a thin plastic sheet and mesh behind; the stuff was originally marketed years ago for burns (and I used it on bicycle road rash) but later downgraded to blister treatment, apparently due to packaging limitations and lack of sterility that would be required by the FDA(?) for burn treatment products.

Seriously, just Google “Spenco gel” or “potting soil crystals”; where have you guys been that you’ve never seen this stuff? What these people have developed is just incremental or lateral innovation, not some big new discovery, so yeah, this news is mostly hype to help them find a corporate sugardaddy to license their pending questionable patent.

]]> By: metalsmith http://inhabitat.com/japanese-researchers-make-elastic-plastic-out-of-water/comment-page-1/#comment-222490 metalsmith Sun, 02 May 2010 03:17:54 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=113114#comment-222490 so... It's jello? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin Sounds like jello without the collagen. or is collagen the natural substance? Anyhow, I want to try some cherry flavored, err... Elastic water. This is cool that they've made it into a substance that has similar properties to vaseline, but I don't think it's quite as new as they would lead you to believe. I think the big part here is that it maintains it's viscosity unless intentionally dried. if it dries into a hard substance like plastic, that would also be cool. so…

It’s jello?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin

Sounds like jello without the collagen.

or is collagen the natural substance?

Anyhow, I want to try some cherry flavored, err… Elastic water.

This is cool that they’ve made it into a substance that has similar properties to vaseline, but I don’t think it’s quite as new as they would lead you to believe. I think the big part here is that it maintains it’s viscosity unless intentionally dried. if it dries into a hard substance like plastic, that would also be cool.

]]> By: falala http://inhabitat.com/japanese-researchers-make-elastic-plastic-out-of-water/comment-page-1/#comment-222442 falala Sat, 01 May 2010 17:49:54 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=113114#comment-222442 Part of what makes plastic useful (as a product) is that nothing eats it. If you had water-based plastic goods, I\'d imagine they\'d have a short lifespan (which is good in a planet sense, but somewhat bad if you have something like a heart valve made from plastic). Overal for easily disposed items (cups, spoons, fast food containers) I could see this as very good though. Part of what makes plastic useful (as a product) is that nothing eats it. If you had water-based plastic goods, I\’d imagine they\’d have a short lifespan (which is good in a planet sense, but somewhat bad if you have something like a heart valve made from plastic).
Overal for easily disposed items (cups, spoons, fast food containers) I could see this as very good though.

]]> By: manny http://inhabitat.com/japanese-researchers-make-elastic-plastic-out-of-water/comment-page-1/#comment-222389 manny Sat, 01 May 2010 11:07:30 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=113114#comment-222389 Wow....it seems incredible...let's hope it becomes practical as well Wow….it seems incredible…let’s hope it becomes practical as well

]]> By: sheltongenie http://inhabitat.com/japanese-researchers-make-elastic-plastic-out-of-water/comment-page-1/#comment-222304 sheltongenie Sat, 01 May 2010 01:33:06 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=113114#comment-222304 I wonder what the organic materials are? I wonder what the organic materials are?

]]> By: Bandito http://inhabitat.com/japanese-researchers-make-elastic-plastic-out-of-water/comment-page-1/#comment-222301 Bandito Sat, 01 May 2010 01:15:47 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=113114#comment-222301 Wonder if this could be a replacement for the material inside breast implants? Wonder if this could be a replacement for the material inside breast implants?

]]> By: VulcanTourist http://inhabitat.com/japanese-researchers-make-elastic-plastic-out-of-water/comment-page-1/#comment-222290 VulcanTourist Sat, 01 May 2010 00:14:59 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=113114#comment-222290 This is small refinement of something we already have rather than a breakthrough. I have sheets of Spenco gel in my medicine cabinet which are 95% water, the other 5% being some polymer. It's the same stuff they add to potting soil to increase water retention. This is small refinement of something we already have rather than a breakthrough. I have sheets of Spenco gel in my medicine cabinet which are 95% water, the other 5% being some polymer. It’s the same stuff they add to potting soil to increase water retention.

]]> By: themadafrican http://inhabitat.com/japanese-researchers-make-elastic-plastic-out-of-water/comment-page-1/#comment-222238 themadafrican Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:24:24 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=113114#comment-222238 so if you ingest it, you're eating clay? so if you ingest it, you’re eating clay?

]]> By: alexjameslowe http://inhabitat.com/japanese-researchers-make-elastic-plastic-out-of-water/comment-page-1/#comment-222204 alexjameslowe Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:06:57 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=113114#comment-222204 wow! what a great development- kind of reminds me of that movie 'The Abyss' wow! what a great development- kind of reminds me of that movie ‘The Abyss’

]]> By: Bao-Khang Luu http://inhabitat.com/japanese-researchers-make-elastic-plastic-out-of-water/comment-page-1/#comment-222198 Bao-Khang Luu Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:54:04 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=113114#comment-222198 It looks like agar. You can eat agar. YUMMY! And some people do practice geophagy. It would be cool if you can eat your plastic water bottle after you drank all the water in it. The bigger question is how many calories does it have? :D It looks like agar. You can eat agar. YUMMY! And some people do practice geophagy. It would be cool if you can eat your plastic water bottle after you drank all the water in it. The bigger question is how many calories does it have? :D

]]> By: Calvin K http://inhabitat.com/japanese-researchers-make-elastic-plastic-out-of-water/comment-page-1/#comment-222180 Calvin K Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:58:35 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=113114#comment-222180 I wonder if you could eat it. I wonder if you could eat it.

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