16 Wild Materials You May Find in Future Products

The Technology Hunters at Inventables, a Chicago-based firm, collect and sift through thousands of unique materials, products and gizmos every year. Then they pick the winners and drop details about the materials that have the right mixture of utility and uniqueness into an enormous electronic database, along with suggestions for how they could be incorporated into new products. Here are 16 of the best, brightest and quirkiest from Inventables.

By Emily Anthes

Published on: January 29, 2009

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Magnetic Ink

This ink, developed by New Jersey company LDP LLC, writes and dries normally but contains particles of iron, making it responsive to magnets and able to conduct electricity. The ink could be used to print circuits on paper.


CLICK FOR MORE 16 Wild Materials You May Find in Future Products
Magnetic Ink	Ceramic Cloth	Flavor Changing Additives	Electronic Paper
Conductive Hook & Loop	Translucent Concrete	Temperature Sensitive Glass Tiles	Anti-Graffiti Film
Stone Paper	Water Expanding Plastic	Anti-Fog Film	Water Soluble Glass
Magnetic-Attracting Paint	Compostable Stretch Fabric	Edible Glitter	Paper Honeycomb

• PLUS: Inventables, Meet the Technology Hunters

• GALLERY: Top 10 Gadgets of 2008

• CES 2009: The Best of Consumer Electronics, Live from CES

• EARLIER: The Top 50 Inventions of the Past 50 Years

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