Ferrofluid is mesmerizing to behold. It has the fluid properties of a liquid and also the magnetic properties of a solid state of matter. The term itself is a portmanteau of “ferromagnetic” and “fluid.” This is because ferrofluid is made up of microscopic magnetic solids suspended in a liquid form.
Ferrofluids were originally created by NASA to better control liquids (namely rocket fuel) in zero gravity. Combined with rocket fuel, ferrofluids can be easily controlled and directed towards a pump via a magnetic field. Of course, most of us non-spacefaring humans won’t be using the stuff to power a rocket anytime soon, but luckily we can still enjoy the material’s incredible properties via a multitude of spellbinding ferrofluid gadgets.
So without further ado, here are seven of the coolest ferrofluid gizmos that money can buy.
Most clocks are woefully utilitarian. They serve but one purpose: illustrating the passing moments of our fleeting existence. The Ferrolic clock, designed by Zelf Koelman, utilizes a ferrofluid screen to more aptly display these ephemeral moments.
Sometimes the slightest distraction is the best ways to get the ol’ cognitive cogs turning. This is where The Thinker by Inspired Designs comes into play. Unlike some of the bulkier ferrofluid desktop items out there, The Thinker uses a compact, elegant design that can be easily stored in a drawer rather than being perpetually displayed.
The Ferrofluid Lamp is another product from Inspired Designs. The 450 milliliter tube uses a bulb similar to a lava lamp enabling the ferrofluid to rise and fall. The lamp also comes with magnets so you can manipulate the ferrofluid via magnetic field as well.
The zKull is a product from Concept Zero. If at first glance you thought the zKull was oddly similar to Dan Aykroyd’s Crystal Skull Vodka bottles, you weren’t mistaken. For some reason, the company uses Crystal Skull Vodka bottles filled with water (not vodka — sorry) and ferrofluid. You can choose from black, blue, or gold colored ferrofluid. So metal…
The RIZE is another smaller ferrofluid gadget perfect for a desktop. A black screw is positioned in the middle of the glass display and acts as the magnetic conduit for the sculpture. Once the vial is placed on the magnetic base, the magnetic field causes the ferrofluid to spin around the groves of the screw. The Rize is available with gold, red, blue, or purple ferrofluid.
The Rhei clock is another solid ferrofluid clock. Like the Ferrolic clock, the Rhei uses a ferrofluid display and a series of internal magnets to display the time. While the Ferrolic has a rather clunky metal housing, the Rhei features a wooden back, clean lines, and rounded edges for a more low-profile, modern look.
The Ferroflow is similar to The Rize, albeit on a much larger scale. The Ferroflow uses magnets inside of the stainless steel base and also on top of the glass display to activate the ferrofluid inside. You can also manually manipulate the fluid using Rize’s detachable neodymium magnet.
San Francisco startup Dimensional advertised for people to walk robot dogs through city streets. The New York Times reported that the job could include carrying a roughly 33-pound robot back to the office if it overheated. A lift home is an awkward requirement for a labor-saving machine.
Keeping the hardware running is only one challenge. Anthropic's robotics tests found that language models mostly failed when controlling joints directly, but did better when directing trained controllers. Giving an AI agent a body doesn't teach it to handle ordinary household objects.
Soon, a mattress protector may be more than a bed cover. Australian medtech company Sleeptite and researchers at RMIT University have received a US patent for FlexiSense, a smart bedding technology that tracks body position and posture to help caregivers identify when older residents may be at risk of falling.
The technology is being developed for Sleeptite’s in-bed monitoring system, REMi, and was recently on display at The MedTech Conference in Boston. A peer-reviewed study in Flexible and Printed Electronics says the sensors can also be made at scale without sacrificing performance or durability.
AI companies spend enormous amounts of time convincing us their technology is safe and secure. But what happens when those same companies become targets of increasingly sophisticated AI-powered attacks? Anthropic, the company behind Claude, is now facing that question. According to a Washington Post report, cybersecurity startup Cathedral discovered vulnerabilities that let its researchers access sensitive information in Anthropic's internal systems.
The researchers used AI agents to identify potential entry points in less than 12 hours. Interestingly, they didn't need to crack Claude itself. Instead, they exploited weaknesses in third-party business applications that Anthropic uses for everyday operations. Anthropic's security testing program disclosed the findings, which allows outside researchers to identify and report vulnerabilities.