There are incontrovertible facts of nature: people get old, things fall, water flows downstream. And then there’s this MIT project, which contradicts at least the last one.
MIT researchers made a material that forces water up walls
Tiny bristles move liquid upstream
Tiny bristles move liquid upstream
The material can force a fluid into unlikely directions
A team of engineers invented a material with thousands of tiny electroplated metal bristles that can move in response to a magnetic field. When the field shifts, so do the bristles, and together they can force a fluid into unlikely directions, even against gravity.
The team released a mind-blowing video of water flowing uphill, but they’re suggesting more practical applications for the future. As a second trick, the material can also act like french blinds, shifting its bristles to block out designated amounts of light. It could also one day make for a water-repellant window or windshield.
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