Photo: James Duncan Davidson
Imagine driving through a downpour and coming out with a dry car.
Mark Shaw produces Ultra Ever-Dry, a liquid-repellent coating that may sound mundane but makes for one astonishing demo. The superhydrophobic coating acts as a shield against pretty much any liquids. When the coating is applied to a surface, it coats it with nanoparticles, which are, surprisingly, not super-smooth but rough and craggy. The spaces between the crags grab onto air particles so that a layer of air now covers the entire surface, and whatever hits the surface — dirt, oil, paint — just bounces right off. The applications are endless: anti-wetting, anti-icing, anti-corrosion, anti-bacterial, self-cleaning, the list goes on.
GIF by Lil Chen
Photos: James Duncan Davidson
Watch Ultra Ever-Dry in action »
Mark Shaw’s demo is now available for viewing. Watch it on TED.com»
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This session, delicately titled “Indelicate conversation,” took a look at some topics not meant for the dinner table with talks by speakers not afraid to ask: What’s really on your mind?
The speakers who appeared in this session. Click on their name to read a recap of their talk:
Rose George “talks shit” to raise awareness about the lack of basic sanitation worldwide.
Mark Shaw develops technologies to contain hazardous waste, stormwater and radioactives.
Ornithologist Kees Moeliker writes and speaks about natural history, especially birds and remarkable animal behavior, as well as improbable research and science-communication-with-a-laugh.
The co-author of Sex at Dawn, Christopher Ryan explores the prehistoric roots of human sexuality.
Allison Hunt has worked in advertising and marketing for 20 years, developing human insight and persuasion into an art for her clients. Six years after getting an artificial hip, she decided to try something new.
Whether he’s taking on insecure hotspots, inept passwords or lax OS designers, James Lyne exposes technology’s vulnerabilities while elevating the security awareness of everyday users.
Anas Aremeyaw Anas is a Ghanaian undercover journalist and private eye who gathers hard evidence of crime and corruption, putting the perpetrators behind bars.
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