Would you believe it if we told you that one material made of a single layer of carbon atoms that are bonded together in a repeating pattern of hexagons could change the way that electronic components are made?

Believe it or not, this emerging material, otherwise known as graphene, has taken the scientific research world by storm through advancements that suggest this material could boost internet speeds, act as a touch-sensitive coating and prolong the lives of computers.

It all began when two Russian scientists, Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov, from the University of Manchester, were testing flakes of carbon graphite in an attempt to explore its electrical properties. After some testing with the material, both scientists decided to make the flakes thinner with the help of Scotch tape.

Both scientists used the tape to peel off a layer of the material from its block and then continued to peel off further layers from the original flake until they were able to get the flakes down to only a few atoms thick. Soon after, they realized that by repeatedly peeling off the layers,  they could reach the thinnest possible layer, one-atom thick.

The original idea of the two scientists working with this material is based on the fact that they wanted to investigate to see if graphite could be used as a transistor; the fundamental switching device that is at the core of computing. The idea to use Scotch tape came from both scientists hearing that other researchers had used the tape to clean the mineral before putting it under the lens.

Just like diamonds are a girl’s best friend, graphene is a scientist’s best friend and is, in fact, stronger than a diamond; yet, it is one million times thinner than paper. It’s so thin that it is considered to be two dimensional. This material has the ability to conduct electricity and heat better than anything that has ever been discovered to date. It is likely that graphene will be an integral part in many future products and processes.

So how strong is graphene? James Hone, a mechanical engineering professor at Columbia University, puts graphene’s strength into perspective. Hone said that graphene is so strong that it would take an elephant, balanced on a pencil, to break through a sheet of graphene as thin as a piece of Saran wrap.

Now that you can wrap your mind around the strength of graphene and how it was discovered, you might be wondering, “why is there so much hype surrounding this material?” Well, for one, graphene has the potential to be used in common everyday situations and products. For instance, graphene can be used to desalinate seawater in order to make it drinkable. Many scientists believe that when water passes through graphene’s tiny pores that the filter can potentially transform salt water into drinking water within a year.

Right now, you might be reading this blog on your computer. Many hope that graphene can replace silicone chips; in fact, IBM has already created pilot computers that use the material to achieve the record-setting speed of 100GHz.

Perhaps you are reading this blog from your smartphone.  Samsung, among other companies, is beginning to use graphene to develop their touchscreen interfaces, because of its transparent and conductive properties.

There are a variety of ways that graphene can be used.  For instance, New York scientists have designed a polymer coating that contains this form of carbon and discovered that it protected steel from rusting for up to a month. This is good news for car owners who do not want their car to rust. The graphene works to repel water and delays the electrochemical reactions that oxidize iron.

This discovery of graphene has allowed many scientists to exercise their ideas in the hopes of furthering scientific research. Only time will tell just how many products and processes are infused with the ultra-thin and ultra-strong material otherwise known as graphene.

Copyright Davison 2013

Sources:

http://gigaom.com/2013/07/15/what-is-graphene-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-a-material-that-could-be-the-next-silicon/

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-graphene-story-how-andrei-geim-and-kostya-novoselov-hit-on-a-scientific-breakthrough-that-changed-the-world-by-playing-with-sticky-tape-8539743.html

Media:

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/147456-researchers-successfully-grow-defect-free-graphene-commercial-uses-now-in-sight

http://gigaom.com/2013/07/15/what-is-graphene-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-a-material-that-could-be-the-next-silicon/

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It may be hard to believe, but big name companies like Apple, BlackBerry and Sony to name a few, have had their fair share of flops when it comes to inventing the next best gadget.

Here are a few of their failed inventions that they wish they could forget about.

Apple Lisa– This personal computer that was invented 30 years ago in 1983 wasn’t one of Apple’s best products. Due to the fact that this large and boxy-designed product cost a staggering $10,000 and with countless delays in the release date, it seemed that the Apple Lisa was D.O.A. However, aside from the fact that this invention was one of Apple’s biggest gadget flops, the Apple Lisa did, however, become the first personal computer to use a GUI.

A GUI is a graphical user interface which allows the user to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and visual indicators as opposed to text-based interfaces. The GUI offered a solution to the problem of difficult textual interfaces that were found in earlier computing systems. This interface is now standard on computers.

Solution– Although the Apple Lisa turned out to be a failure, through failure came success for the Macintosh. The first Macintosh was released in January of 1984. With this invention came the iconic Apple Macintosh “1984” Super Bowl ad:

BlackBerry Storm– Everyone has a cell phone and that is why popular brands are constantly creating new ideas for inventions that will outshine their smartphone competitors. In 2008, BlackBerry introduced their first touch screen phone, the Storm, to rival the popular iPhone.  At the time, the new handset used a capacitive touch screen which was a mechanical component that allowed the entire screen to function as a button for confirming selections or initiating actions. However, this idea which was originally supposed to be helpful, turned out to be confusing. The root of this confusion came from the fact that the user could not tell if they had pressed a key or selected an application. In addition, the BlackBerry Storm’s battery life and lack of Wi-Fi connectivity proved to be major problems that were noted by consumers.

Solution– Just like Apple did with the failure of the “Lisa”, BlackBerry went back to the drawing board in order to invent a product that would become a success in the marketplace. In 2010, Research in Motion (RIM), created the BlackBerry 10. The entire phone was, by all appearances, drastically different and included a new operating system that was seen as a big improvement from their previous phones.

In May, BlackBerry announced the Q5, which features a tactile keyboard and 3.1-inch touchscreen. The jury of the general public has not yet decided if the latest attempt by BlackBerry is not guilty of inventing another failed gadget.

Sony Tablet P– In 2012, Sony tried to make their way into the world of tablets, only to realize that their first endeavor didn’t quite make the cut. The Sony Tablet P was a tablet that was small enough to fit in the consumer’s pocket.  Despite its portable-clamshell design, the Sony Tablet P had too many flaws including poor battery life, low internal memory and the device could only be charged using its proprietary power supply.

Solution– Sony said goodbye to the dual screen tablet and jumped on the classic tablet design bandwagon. Along with design upgrades, the Sony Xperia Tablet Z offers high resolution, 16GB of storage and much more.

Although these are just a few of the brands that ran into problems with certain invention ideas, solutions and new gadget innovation are always in the works. It seems that society has reaped the benefits of these companies’ failures, because these same failures fuel their success.

Copyright Davison 2013

Sources:

http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/12-spectacular-gadget-flops-6C10068514

http://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventions/a/Apple_Computers.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphical_user_interface

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/242033/graphical-user-interface-GUI

http://www.engadget.com/2006/04/01/30-years-in-apple-products-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/

http://www.landsnail.com/apple/local/design/revolution.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_In_Motion

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/technology-news/rims-last-stand-bb10-will-be-a-stunning-success-and-an-inevitable-failure/

http://gigaom.com/2013/01/28/after-a-rise-and-fall-blackberry-10-is-rims-last-best-comeback-attempt/

http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/28/technology/mobile/blackberry-earnings/index.html

http://gizmodo.com/5892643/sony-tablet-p-review-a-whole-lotta-terrible-in-your-pocket

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/ipad-and-tablets/sony-tablet-p-review-50004946/

http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/sony-xperia-tablet-z-1133193/review

Multimedia:

http://www.macgeek.org/museum/applelisa1/apple1_00.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIUcNLTsyYo&feature=youtu.be

http://www.gsmdome.com/blackberry/blackberry-storm-pricing-on-vodafone-revealed_1117

http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,3253,l=287043&a=287043&po=14,00.asp

http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/30/sony-xperia-tablet-z-review/

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