Sponge Suit 3D Printed Bikini Cleans The Water As You Swim

Researchers at the University of California Riverside have created a new "super-material" that has the ability to repel water while absorbing and storing toxins inside. What that means is that the bikini can clean the water while you swim and stores those toxins in the fabric. The material the bikini is made from is called Sponge.

Sponge is recyclable, economically sustainable, and intelligently manufactured material. The material is a porous and super hydrophobic and is derived from heated sucrose. Sponge is able to absorb more than 20 times its own weight in contaminants and won't release the absorbed contaminants unless it is heated to over 1,000 degrees Celsius.

The material is able to trap contaminants in the inner pores so they don't touch the skin of the person wearing the suit. Swimsuits made from Sponge would be usable up to 25 times before needing to be recycled.

To create the bikini design the designers 3D printed a bikini cage using a strong elastomer with the flexibility needed to fit the contours of the body. The designers say that the material could also be made into a men's swimsuit, swimming cap, or wetsuit. The pads would be replaceable with new ones when it is time to recycle.

SOURCE: 3Ders