Carbon nanotubes may very well kill you (okay, so that's very much a stretch), but you'll have a hard time convincing the dutiful scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to stop their promising research. Put simply (or as simply as possible), said researchers have discovered that "networks of single-walled carbon nanotubes printed onto bendable plastic perform well as semiconductors in integrated circuits." So well, in fact, that the nanotube networks could one day "replace organic semiconductors in applications such as flexible displays." Granted, there is still much to do before these networks are ready for product integration, but you can bet these folks aren't hitting the brakes after coming this far.

While the HD DVD camp is busy with its 51GB disc, the Blu-ray side has a new creature of its own to talk about. Co-developed by Pioneer and Mitsubishi, the LTH (Low to High) BD-R reportedly utilizes an "organic dye recording layer," and is said to be a recognized format within the Blu-ray Disc Recordable Format v1.2 standard. Additionally, the two companies boast that this disc won't require "large-scale plant investments" to manufacture, which is music to the ears of anyone who enjoys lower costs. Regrettably, it sounds like existing Blu-ray drives won't play nice with the LTH BD-Rs as-is, but here's to hoping that firmware updates could fix that. Click on for a shot of a prototype drive gettin' cozy with one of the new discs.

[Via CDRInfo]

Toshiba has announced plans to ship an organic electroluminescence (EL) display in 2009. The target size will be 30 inches, which beats most manufacturers' prototypes currently under development, like Sony's 27-inch OLED plans. Toshiba had previously planned 2015 as the launch window for OEL (more commonly known as OLED) sets, a launch timeframe which put them in that magical future land along with SED and FED displays. While Toshiba doesn't expect to compete directly against the behemoth of LCD at first, they believe the technology's superiority -- which includes lower manufacturing costs, and better viewing angles and contrast -- will be recognized as volume goes up. Your electroluminescent game of fl0w may never look better.

While the folks behind the AACS could probably use a few pointers about constructing a sufficient lock of their own, a group of scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovat, Israel have crafted a molecule-sized "keypad lock" that "only activates when exposed to the correct password, a sequence of chemicals and light." Organic chemist Abraham Shanzer and his colleagues suggest that their invention could "lead to a new level of safeguards for secret information," but we tend think the infamous hackers of the world would inevitably crack the code. Nevertheless, the molecule -- dubbed FLIP -- houses a core linker that mimics a bacterial compound that binds to iron, and attached to it are two molecules that respectively can glow either blue or green. Using three "buttons," which just so happen to be an acidic molecule, an alkaline compound, and ultraviolet light, the lock can be "opened" if given the right sequence of chemicals and light, and there's a grand total of two noticeable results possible. Interestingly, the researchers have insinuated that their creation could be used to recognize "when certain sequences of chemicals (like harmful toxins) are released in the body," but we haven't heard a 10-4 from the US Army just yet.

[Via Yahoo, thanks, Antonio H.]

Electrolux has been known to crank out some wicked appliances (and other household gear) over the years, but now its getting a taste (ahem) of just how snazzy its lineup will be once these students hire in upon graduating. Engineering minds from all over the world submitted entries into the firm's 2006 Design Lab contest, and while props were (understandably) given to a plethora of participants, only three could claim top honors. Above all was the Nevale Food Carrier (pictured above), which rocks four separated layers for toting "different hot / cold meals" at once, and the digital screen atop its lid provides a real-time readout of the storage conditions while the built-in vacuum system keeps food "fresh and free from bacteria." The first runner up, dubbed The Organic Cook, puts a nasty right hook on Mr. Foreman's offering, as it touts "oil-free frying, grilling, and boiling using infrared technology and vacuum cooking." Taking home the bronze is VESSTO, a "sleekly-designed, portable cooker" that utilizes renewable energy as power via an "advanced version of the Stirling Engine," and also features touch-sensitive controls and a screen for displaying recipes. So if you're interested to know just how stylish your kitchen will look in just a few more years, be sure to click on for a few more snapshots, and hit the read link for the full rundown of spectacular contrivances.

[Via Appliancist]