Prototype Tweezers Shine a Light on Thorns
Posted on December 1, 2006
These new protype tweezers from Bayer Materialscience may make it easier for people to remove thorns in the future. The tips of the tweezer light up to spotlight the thorn trying to be removed from a finger or toe. A press release from Bayer Materialscience explains more about the new hi-tech tweezers.
Is it at all possible to improve a mundane everyday item such as a pair of tweezers? After all, it has the simplest of forms and has worked reliably for as long as anyone can remember. "Most definitely," is the reply from Ralph Schneider as he reaches for a streamlined item made of plastic with a black head and two transparent arms. As if by magic, the pincers light up, directing the light to the tips and illuminating a small point on the desk top. Perfect for shining the spotlight on a thorn that has to be removed..."This little item has the capacity to provide the electronics market with new impetus," explains Ralph Schneider. The pair of tweezers, developed in a project he supervised, is a prototype that uses an innovative and completely invisible switching technology. Today, the former mechanical engineering student is right in the middle of things instead of just watching events unfold. What began a few months ago as a degree thesis at Bayer MaterialScience AG quickly resulted in a permanent appointment in the Creative Center at one of the biggest plastics manufacturers in the world.
Unfortunately, the press release did not say when the illuminating tweezers will be available for consumers.