Brinker hopes to bring leak-fixing artificial platelets to water pipes

U.K.-based Brinker Technology has been fine tuning its artificial platelet technology for oil pipelines for a while now, but it looks like the company's now looking to bring the leak-sealing solution to a water pipe near your. Unfortunately, the technology doesn't involve nanobots crawling though the pipes and fixing leaks with their pint-sized blowtorches (yet), with Brinker's solution instead relying on "squishy blobs" that flow through the pipes and attach themselves to leaks, forming a temporary "scab" that'll keep the fluids contained until the pipe can be permanently fixed. While the company apparently thinks that the blobs will be just at home in water pipes as they are in oil pipelines, they're currently stuck waiting for the necessary approval to put 'em to the test.

[Deluxe @ Dec 21st 2006 10:44PM]

I'm still waiting for the day that there are mechanical crabs wandering along these pipes, fixing leaks with their ass-crack showing.

[Jesse @ Dec 21st 2006 10:49PM]

what the fuck does that even mean?

[Lawry Goldstein @ Dec 21st 2006 11:30PM]

It means there are idiots commenting on every post.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Dec 22nd 2006 12:33AM]

Platelets are the clotting agents in human blood that "Clot" or stop bleeding. People with out platelets in the blood suffer from a diesease called hemophilia. If a hemophiliac cuts him or herself that individual may bleed to death very quickly. It takes only a small cut to send a hemophiliac to the emergency ward.

Probably the most famous hemophiliac (that you probably never heard of) is a young boy by the name of Ryan White. Google his name.

What Brinkers new technology means is that when a Pipe bursts or springs a leak, artificial platelets will be carried by the water and will get caught in the leak. Eventually this will stop or slow the flow of water from out side of the pipe.

[ZombieFlanders @ Dec 21st 2006 11:31PM]

Well they better test 'em good. The difference is that your body is a closed system which will keep platelets in for another round at the clot (or processing and flushing out the body as waste. If they use this stuff in water pipes, there's a good chance that more of these 'squishy blobs' end up going right past the leak to destinations unknown. What happens if a fish ingests one? Or a person?

Good idea though.

[TIB @ Dec 22nd 2006 3:12AM]

I hope these blobs don't see taps as leaks!

[Anonymouse @ Dec 22nd 2006 8:39AM]

As non-toxic as Crayola and playdoh?

[Matt B @ Dec 22nd 2006 9:20AM]

Stop Leak for water and oil systems.

[GeneMack @ Dec 22nd 2006 10:40AM]

There are 1,000's more reasons to run water through pipes, other than drinking water. Even the picture above shows what looks to be FPS pipe (fire suppression system). The companies website highlights most of their work in the industrial sector. I am sure they are only testing these on waste water, cooling water, or other industrial use piping systems.

But you could always institute a recirculating filter at the end of any line, so that the platelets would be pulled back out of the system and the water filtered before it gets to any end user.