Create the Future_Design Contest 2010 from COMSOL Start date 01 March 2010.

This appears to be an interesting, helpful and rewarding approach to innovation from one of the leaders in commercial multiphysics modelling.

Comsol also provides a rich selection of freely available resource items, Conference reports on CD, white papers etc. which reminds me, I must pick-up the lastest. CD.

Should readers require a network partner, please check my blog posts for senior experience and multidisciplinary areas of competence.
eg
1.
Conversations-on-Innovations.
2.
Materials Science and Engineering Defined


I am a member of Linkedin, and ReseachGate networks
If in doubt drop me a line via one or other (or all) of the above sites.

en référence à : Create the Future Design Contest ::Create the Future (afficher sur Google Sidewiki)

Up-dated my SPY registration on MaterialsKTN Knowledge Transfer Network with Nano Feed link_cf also some of my French Links

Just a quick news up-date the UK's attractive Materials Innovation site MaterialsKTN Knowledge Transfer Network with Feed from NanoKTN.

For good measure balance (no feed available at present):

A French Network (in English)
France's C'Nano and
Company network Rhone Alpes .

Other links on the site via LINKS, SEARCH button:
-Institutional nano sites
-Competence centers
-European laboratories
-Nanoscience journals

This-Above-All: Financial Innovation_The Economist Debate. Stiglitz sways the field advocating a more cautious regulatory approach. CASE for MASS TORTS?

This-Above-All: Financial Innovation_The Economist Debate. Stiglitz sways the field advocating a more cautious regulatory approach. CASE for MASS TORTS?

Smart material-Super strong gecko insired adhesive gets unstuck is reusable and facilitates recycling components

This invention - innovation appears to have fairly wide spread application potential. As such may well suggest opportunities for the enterprising.

General Motors researchers, led by Tao Xie, a polymer scientist at the GM Research and Development Center in Warren, MI., have made an extremely strong adhesive that comes apart when heated. The adhesive is 10 times stickier than Velcro and the reusable gecko-inspired glues that many research groups have been trying to perfect.


The polymers in the glue bond to each other within minutes when they are initially heated. Thus, when two pieces of the adhesive materials are heated, they stick together strongly, but they come apart easily when heated again.

It is in the class of new materials known as Shape memory materials-here a polymer.

Current Performance:
The researchers were able to attach and pull apart the polymers twice before losing one-third of the adhesive strength (that's still 6.6 times stronger than other adhesives? ) So how many cycles are possible?

Recycling components:

Mark Geoghegan, who studies reversible adhesives at the University of Sheffield in the U.K., says that strong, switchable adhesives could make it easier to recycle computers and electronics, if these adhesives were used to glue them together. "Taking complicated structures apart for reuse at the end of life of the original device is not trivial if their original production involved welding," he says.

The glue could find use in any application requiring a strong but alterable bond, such as furniture, toys, and buildings. Geoghegan envisions offices or hotel rooms that could be tailored to accommodate a handicapped person. Or, he suggests, "Imagine a U2 tour, where sets are assembled and disassembled on a daily basis. It might be easier to use a high-strength reversible adhesive than to use bolts."

Some questions for applications and recycling: Reliabilty? Ratio of the amount of glue per component (esp for very small and expensive ones as in electronics). Glue removal when nessessary -by heating or chemical or mechanical abrasion?) Saftey standards for toys...?

This Smart Mat sounds well worth following-up.

Fuller details on MIT's Technology Review Newsletter

REF: en référence à : Technology Review: Super Velcro (on afficher sur) Google Sidewiki)

IdeaConnection encourages team approach to problem solving

Just a quick addition to paid Innovation contests. IdeaConnection IdeaConnection encourages team approach to problem solving. Since I registered with IdeaConnection, the site has gained in momentum. Enormous progress ahas been made. I am please to have added the site as good team network source for problem solving, finding collaborators,becoming a team leader. As a company seeking to tap problem solving resourses world wide why not post you problem on the contest list. It is an excellent compliment to my first affiliation: Innocentive.


LINK to IdeaConnection RSS Feed (NB. permalink above centered)

InnoCentive > Challenges

Let me introduce you to the following feed (RSS). All the challenges, multiple disciples are repoprted regularily.

InnoCentive: All the Challenges

I am sure you will find particularly motivating current problems to solve with much back-ground information on real-life science based theoretical, technological and engineering problems to solve, many of which are cryingly urgent for many of the worlds populations. InnoCentive's offers, virtual office,real personal online assistance are also an excellent way of broadening young one's knowledge from any single academic disciplines to wider issues such, technology transfer and patent rights, licencing...

Delays are short so check the link regularly, bookmark them and do not hesitate to contact me for any further assistance, co-operation, caring and sharing.

I have also included a rapid and permanently placed access link in my site-blog listings centred under the header blocks

Reference to: list of challenge categories, and RSS feeds per category

Materials Science and Engineering Defined: InnoCentive > Challenges > Physical Sciences_Outlets for untapped skills, supplimentary work and recogition and revenue

Materials Science and Engineering Defined: InnoCentive Challenges: Physical Sciences_Outlets for untapped skills, supplimentary work and recogition and revenue