Comment The Possibilities... (Score 5, Insightful) 104
...are enormous.
1) A layer of self-healing plastic inside a space suit to seal off punctures before the astronaut loses too much air.
2) Same thing on a larger scale for boats - just make the plastic sensitive to direct contact to water.
3) Same thing on an even larger scale for planes, especially jetliners.
4) Same thing on the largest scale for shuttles, space stations and true spacecraft.
5) Plastic layers inside the seams and seals of a car so that water-immersed vehicles can slow water flow into a car long enough to increase the accident victim's chances of survival without preventing them from escaping a sinking vehicle.
6) Battlefield plastic skin bandages to protect a wound from further damage, cover and clean it, maintain pressure on the injury and encourage clotting at the wound site.
I could go on for a while on this, these being just the accident-oriented uses...
1) A layer of self-healing plastic inside a space suit to seal off punctures before the astronaut loses too much air.
2) Same thing on a larger scale for boats - just make the plastic sensitive to direct contact to water.
3) Same thing on an even larger scale for planes, especially jetliners.
4) Same thing on the largest scale for shuttles, space stations and true spacecraft.
5) Plastic layers inside the seams and seals of a car so that water-immersed vehicles can slow water flow into a car long enough to increase the accident victim's chances of survival without preventing them from escaping a sinking vehicle.
6) Battlefield plastic skin bandages to protect a wound from further damage, cover and clean it, maintain pressure on the injury and encourage clotting at the wound site.
I could go on for a while on this, these being just the accident-oriented uses...