Are you an inventor, artist or a tinkerer? Maybe you should check out Inventables.com. They sell materials that designers, artists, and inventors use to develop new products and push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Some of their interesting products:
Mineral Wool: This mineral wool is made from basalt rock and slag. It resists temperatures up to approximately 1,000 °C (1,832 °F). It can act as a fire barrier and provides valuable extra minutes to save people, property, and the environment. $38.00
Temperature Sensitive Flexible Sheets: Thermochromic materials make it possible to monitor temperature changes visually, the moment they happen. The product featured here uses thermochromic liquid crystals (TLCs) available in two basic types. One changes color between -30°C to 120°C (-22°F to 248°F); it can be set to work within any limited range between those extremes. The other type has a base color that changes to a different solid color only when the temperature reaches a customizable threshold. This is useful for applications where it is important to identify overheating quickly. $20.79
Magnetic Fluid: Magnetic fluid, or ferrofluid, is normally a thick black liquid, but in the presence of a magnetic field it instantly responds. Although it looks similar, this is not simply iron filings—the liquid is actually homogeneous. $34.50
Miniature Web Server: This is a complete internet web server built into an Ethernet (RJ-45) jack. This makes it much simpler to add network capabilities to a product. $202.40
Talking Tape: Talking tape makes it possible to mechanically create sound from various objects. With one hand, you hold the top of the tape. With the other, you slide your thumbnail down the ribbon against the grooves. Do this and you hear, “Congratulations!†The ribbon has grooves just like a traditional record. When your fingernail is pulled down the ribbon, it causes sound vibrations. The card works as the amplifier to make the sound louder. You can replace the card with a plastic cup, a balloon, a greeting card, or just about anything. The ribbons can be made to play any sound you can record; however, the manufacturer claims voices work better than music. $13.00
Translucent Concrete: This special concrete tile allows light to pass through. The tile contains optical fibers that make up about 5% of its surface area. The fibers are distributed uniformly throughout the surface to allow an outline to be clearly visible on the other side. The tiles have the unique combination of being nearly unbreakable and translucent. $134.50
Squirting Washer: These washers squirt an orange silicone once they are tightened to a predetermined load . This way, there is immediate verification of proper bolt tension. DTI’s and Squirter washers perform independently of Torque. $7.89