Strange Materials Department of Materials

Professor Mark Miodownik, University College London, explores and reviews the imminent changes that are coming to the material world in the not so distant future with a rise in the investigation of synthetic organs, bones and even brains. Whatever people think about the rapid pace of technological change in the past, the fundamental arrangement of materials on the planet has not radically altered. There are living things that we call life, and there are non-living stuff which we call rocks, tools, buildings and so on. As a result of our greater understanding of matter, this distinction is now becoming blurred and is likely to usher in a new materials age: bionic people with synthetic organs, bones and even brains will be the norm. Just as we become more synthetic, so our man-made environment will change to become more lifelike, living buildings, and objects that heal-themselves are becoming a reality. This talk reviews the imminent changes to the material world that are coming our way.