Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Glass is the Future Not the Past
For some, glass conjures up a feeling of antiqueness. It was once the standard package material for such products as milk and soda. Yet with technical advances, such powerful commodities soon turned to a cheaper alternative - plastic. Plastic milk cartons and soda bottles now dominate the market. However, glass did not disappear. It remained evident in other everyday goods such as car windshields, windows, buildings, watches, phones, glasses, light bulbs, etc. Not only did it remain evident, it also improved. Such technological advances include touch screen technology seen in many devices today, such as the iPhone, production improvements reducing cost, and strength improvements. This material is definitely evolving and will continue to become an even more evident and pertinent part of society, as shown in the following 3 videos. They showcase current bendable glass as well as ideas for glass that can support huge amounts of continuous weight, and glass capable of projecting movable interactive images on large scale surfaces. As these videos showcase, glass won't just be more evident but a more economical and sustainable material being that is more recyclable than plastic.
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Personally, I like bottled glass milk better than the plastic container ones. I think it looks better and somehow makes it taste better. It is interesting how they are trying to make glass innovative and recyclable. Would like to see it soon.
ReplyDeleteKudos to innovation! It's amazing how technology is turning a "thing of the past" to a material used in the present and more in the future. Commpared to plastic, glass feels a lot more luxurious when used to contain cosmetics, and skincare products. But for travel, it can be quite heavy and fragile. That will probably be when the bendable glass technology comes into play!
ReplyDeleteWho doesn't love glass? Of course glass makes things look nice, but many technological advances wouldn't be possible with out it. If glass is the future it will have to go down in price for companies to switch or use glass compared to plastic. Switching to glass instead of plastic is wise considering plastic takes longer to biodegrade and may never fully break down, harming our environment.
ReplyDeleteThere was a great lecture led by architect Frank Barkow, who visited USC last month. I was there to witness his great works and achievements, and he experiments with glass. He uses laser-cutted plexi-glass to give an aesthetic-feeling of lightness and as if the windows are full of bubbles. Because it is very fragile, he designed a structure that can accommodate the fluctuating live load. Amazing!
ReplyDeleteGlass definitely will not go away. It is far too useful to be tossed aside. Plastic does have some big advantages, such as being more durable and much lighter. Although glass does give off a “classic” feel to it, plastic looks and feels too cheap to be a replacement. A nice beverage in a glass cup will feel and handle way better than a plastic one. Also, plastic does break down and get into your drink, so there will be a slightly off taste. Glass is pretty inert, and will not affect the taste of the drink. The new technologies being incorporated into glass look awesome. I hope they make it easier to get my favorite drinks delivered in glass bottles.
ReplyDeleteGlass really is a beautiful thing. Some of my favorite art is stained glass in the windows of cathedrals, so seeing how innovative we've become I'm awaiting what comes next. The iPhone has become an integrated part in millions of people's lives, and the glass was an issue to start, but fewer and fewer people are complaining about its durability. To bad I'm one of those people complaining... I've broken far to many phones and can't wait for the day glass is unbreakable.
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