Airs Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at 10 p.m. on KPBSTV
Credit: Courtesy of Powderhouse Productions
Above: Host David Pogue swims with sharks to get a close look at their skin. Sharkskin has inspired a substance that, when sprayed in hospitals, could eliminate antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Invisibility cloaks. Spider silk that is stronger than steel. Plastics made of sugar that dissolve in landfills. Self-healing military vehicles. Smart pills and micro-robots that zap diseases. Clothes that monitor your mood. What will the future bring, and what will it be made of?
Above: Host David Pogue tries out a Speedo Fastskin suit.
In NOVA's four-hour series, "Making Stuff," popular New York Times technology reporter David Pogue takes viewers on a fun-filled tour of the material world we live in, and the one that may lie ahead.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at scientific innovations ushering in a new generation of materials that are stronger, smaller, cleaner, and smarter than anything we've ever seen.
"Making Stuff Smarter" looks at materials that respond to their environments and even learn, such as an airplane wing that changes shape as it flies.
Scientists are turning to nature in developing such "smart" stuff. Sharkskin, for instance, has inspired a substance that, when sprayed in hospitals, could eliminate antibiotic-resistant bacteria. David Pogue visits a scientist who has even created a material that can render objects invisible.
"Smarter" concludes with a vision of the ultimate in "life-like" stuff: programmable matter that could create a duplicate of a human being.
Above: In "Making Stuff Smarter," explore a new generation of ingenious materials, from clothes that monitor your mood to real-life invisibility cloaks.
Above: Can innovative materials help solve the energy crisis and lead to a sustainable future? David Pogue investigates in NOVA "Making Stuff: Cleaner."
Above: In "Making Stuff Smaller," future technologies will depend on tiny stuff—from silicon chips to micro-robots that probe the human body.
Video
NOVA: Making Stuff: Interview with host David Pogue
Above: Invisibility cloaks. Spider silk that is stronger than steel. Plastics made of sugar that dissolve in landfills. Self-healing military vehicles. Smart pills and micro-robots that zap diseases. Clothes that monitor your mood. What will the future bring, and what will it be made of? In NOVA's fascinating new four-hour series, "Making Stuff," popular New York Times technology reporter David Pogue takes viewers on a thrilling tour of the material world we live in, and the one that may lie ahead—offering viewers a behind-the-scenes look at scientific innovations that are ushering in a new generation of materials that are stronger, smaller, smarter, and cleaner than anything we've ever seen.
69° Mostly Cloudy
Email
Permalink
Log in to comment:
Forgot your password?