Liquid crystal

Finnish startup IXI is on a mission to reinvent what eyewear can be, and it now seems to be just a step away from turning that vision into reality. The company's autofocus glasses are in the final stages of development before their official launch.

Eyewear company Chamelo has delivered a world first, with sunglasses that can change colour and transparency with a single finger tap. While this may feel like style over substance, this tech has the potential to stretch far beyond fashion.

In a serendipitous discovery, engineers have developed a material that first deforms and then shoots into the air when it is heated. The researchers say the material could one day be used to help soft robots jump or lift objects.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have developed a new shock-absorbing material that is super lightweight, yet offers the protection of metal. The stuff could make for helmets, armor and vehicle parts that are lighter, stronger and reusable.

In the not-too-distant future, we may see wound dressings that default to absorbing bodily fluids, while also releasing medication on demand. The same material could allow robots to cool themselves by sweating.

More than 100 years after a pair of imaginative physicists first proposed a new phase of liquid crystal, scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder have managed to produce it and have been left “stunned" by its behavior.

​Some people think it's funny to shine laser pointers at aircraft that are taking off or landing. Unfortunately, though, the glare of the lasers can temporarily blind pilots, potentially leading to crashes. Installed in planes' windshields, new liquid crystal technology may keep that from happening.

Computer monitors are big and splashy, and can reveal sensitive information or activities to bystanders. An additional layer of security (and fun) can be added to your computer's LCD display by removing your display's outer polarizing filter, and using polarizing sunglasses instead.