silicone

We've already seen quite a number of skin-adhered sensors that track people's vital signs. That's all very well and good if you're human, but what if you're a fur-covered animal? Well, there's now a sensor that works on them, too.

Snowy places aren’t ideal for harvesting solar energy – panels can’t do much if they’re buried under blankets of snow, of course. Now a team from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) has developed a new device that can produce electricity from snow itself.

Although it's since released various other products, Knog started out by making bike lights with integrated stretchy silicone straps. Now, with the 49-gram waterproof Bandicoot, the Australian company is taking the same approach to headlamps.

Scientists are increasingly looking at using medication-filled microspheres for targeted drug delivery within the human body. Now, a new process has allowed for the creation of silicone microspheres that are about one one-hundredth the size of any previously produced.

Whenever foreign objects such as implants are placed within the human body, there's a danger that bacteria could collect on them, leading to infections. Now, however, scientists have created a material that's too slippery for those bacteria to cling onto. It works by continuously releasing oil.

The hand is one of the crowning evolutionary advantages of our species. Its opposable thumb makes it excellent for a huge range of tasks, chiefly grasping and tugging genitals. But that doesn't mean it can't be improved upon – meet the Handie.

Researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab have come up with a 3D printed, soft-shelled, disembodied tentacle that can autonomously slither like a snake through all manner of pipes, channels, and burrows.

Having already given us a new take on the humble lunch bag with its Compleat FoodBag, Norwegian company Unikia set out to redesign the lunch box for its latest offering, the Compleat FoodSkin, which features a laptop-like form factor.

Norwegian company Unikia is looking to update the plain old lunch bag with its Compleat FoodBag, a reusable lunch box that keeps food fresh and protected in transit and rolls up compactly when the meal is over.

Vistik is a new type of silicone that takes on different shapes in response to pressure, while still maintaining support and elasticity.

A new process for binding Teflon to other plastics offers considerable promise for medical applications.

The Bübi Bottle is a new reusable water bottle made from silicone, giving it a scrunchable quality, amongst others.