The world’s first 3D-printed steel footbridge has been unveiled in the centre of Amsterdam. Developed by Imperial College London and the Alan Turing Institute, the 12 m-long bridge took over four years to design and contains a network of sensors to monitor its performance. Data from the sensors will then be used to create a computerised version allowing researchers to analyse the bridge’s behaviour when handling pedestrian traffic.
“A 3D-printed metal structure large and strong enough to handle pedestrian traffic has never been constructed before,” says Leroy Gardner from Imperial. “We have tested and simulated the structure and its components throughout the printing process and upon its completion, and it’s fantastic to see it finally open to the public.”
Summerfun
With the start of the school holidays upon us, parents with young children may well be dreading the prospect of looking after unruly and bored kids for weeks on end. Thankfully, help is at hand courtesy of Smart Energy GB, who have kindly outlined seven science experiments you can do at home during the holidays.
Requiring only common household items, the experiments include making a balloon hovercraft, a pinhole camera as well as showing the magnetic effect of your breakfast cereal. For the full list of activities, see here.
Keeping with the summer theme, swimsuits and life jackets can be essential items, but if not dried thoroughly after use, they can develop a strong, musty smell. Now researchers have created a buoyant cotton fabric that is also water repellent, which could be used in future to avoid the threat of mould build-up.
Cotton is hydrophilic, allowing liquids and oil inside and previous attempts to make garments repel liquid have often involved spraying the material with “superamphiphobic coatings”. However, this technique is impractical for large-scale manufacturing given that it requires multiple, time-consuming steps.
The researchers, based in China, have created a “one-step” coating process that results in a fabric that is liquid proof and also stays afloat under 35 times its weight. Watch a video of the new material’s hydrophobic properties here.