New Materials
How will new materials push back the physical limits of our current tools?
Why it matters
Technology has always been about defeating physical constraints through better substrates, or better agencement of existing substrates. Flintstones made it possible to cut through skin and flesh in ways that were previously not accessible to humans, making human the most dangerous predator on Earth. Kilometers-long copper wires made it possible to transport electricity over seas. Carbon fibers made it possible to access air and space at much lower cost and higher speed.
Today, physics still puts hard constraints on how energy and information flow. The next generation of electricity generators - nuclear fusion - will require conductors that can resist extremely strong magnetic fields while carrying considerable electric charge. The next generation of processors will require substrates that can store, move and decode information faster, more reliably, and with less energy. The next generation of health devices will requires materials that are small or precise enough to observe, monitor, report and act on what happens in a brain, gut or blood vessel - without causing damage.
Examples
- Superconductors
- Photonic-Based Technologies
- Nanomaterials
- Bioengineered Robots