Nearly as Strong as Titanium but Lighter than Styrofoam

Looks like maybe micro-drones to search disaster sites for survivors...

http://www.popsci.com/article/technology/rise-insect-drones

http://www.hrl.com/news/2015/0710/

https://www.microdrones.com/en/news/

I wonder if this could be used in a composite for even greater strength where weight is not an issue?

Good point. A couple of days ago someone was looking for a material that outperformed some fancy metal at -60degC. Could this be the solution, one wonders?

Knowing this completely screwed up world... you can bet your last cent on someone somewhere using this material to design and build an even better way of killing someone or a way to protect themselves from another idiot trying to kill them.

What started with rocks and sticks . . . . . all part of the human condition and as long as there are humans . . . .

The world will be perfect when we are all gone.

I would agree to that

If only someone would manufacture cars from materials that can be easily and cheaply repaired. It has become so expensive to repair cars that even a minor shunt can cause cars of $5-7,000 value to be written off by insurance companies, despite 95% of the vehicle still being intact. Totally unnecessary and a serious waste of human endeavor and resources.

Go bigger...

Those cars end up here.

Oh well, at least that counts as "recycling." A bit off-topic but here's an article about expensive cars stolen in Britain that land up in a field in Uganda. Look at the route they take and imagine all the graft and corruption that takes place all the way. And who pays? Well Britain's motorists of course.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3244460/Detectives-tracking-Lexus-stolen-London-Uganda-alongside-fleet-stolen-British-cars-worth-1million.html

Here is a link that may prove beneficial:

http://www.core77.com/posts/41517/Microlattice-Metal-Thats-100-Times-Lighter-than-Styrofoam

I would suspect that one of the first uses would be in satellites.

It costs around $30000 per Kg to put an object in geosynchronous orbit.

The next largest ROI would probably be in aviation,commercial planes.

A single can of coke, if left on the plane,can cost thousands of dollars in extra fuel over the lifespan of the airframe.

Automobiles would probably be next,to increase fuel mileage.

It would probably be seen first on the pro race circuit to give an advantage.

And of course,as mentioned, in ultra-lites and micro drones.

Think of how much the airlines would save if they made everyone use the loo right before they walk down the ramp.

Except they would lose money if flying politicians:

They are full of hot air.

....on second thought,that weight advantage would be more than offset by those that are full of shitake.

Even adding their evening gowns and extra shoes, it costs less per km to fly our world champ ladies soccer team around than the MN Vikings in the identical plane.

Ergo, weigh in everything and charge the flying public with a mass surcharge applied to the basic fee, much like my electric utility tacks on a fuel surcharge based on my kwhrs.

Airlines have reached a new level of madness. A person weighing 300 lb. with hand baggage only, pays less than a 120 lb. person with a 30 lb. check in bag. Hence the propensity for people to fly wearing gigantic coats stashed with all their worldly goods, whilst wearing 17 pairs of underpants, 4 shirts, 3 trousers and 5 socks. My only problem was wearing more than one pair of shoes - not easy. One person recently dressed like this passed out with heatstroke on a flight.

28 days agoZ2ZReply

"There is a lot that is missing or inaccurate in this report. One: The researcher in the video describes the material as a "polymer", not a metal. Two: If the material is, in fact, nickel, then nickel is not in fact the lightest metal ever. It could only be the "lightest metal ever" if it were, in fact, a new, previously undiscovered metal, which it is not. Three: The researcher in the video describes the lattice as a new material: it is not. The lattice is a structure, not a material per se. What needs to be done here is to explain the mass of the material (if it is in fact a new material) per volume, and compare that mass to other, comparable materials. Only then will we know which is "lightest". It would appear that this is promotional but not technically accurate - something that should be made clear to the lay public by our intrepid reporter.

Having said the above, I don't blame Rain Noe for whatever may be lacking in the report- I have no idea how he came by the information or from whom. Mr. Noe continues to be an informative and entertaining writer and I use this website often as an essential resource, so by all means keep up the good work." - Chris Williams