URBANA, Ill. (AP) — Imagine this: There's no need to throw out your old cellphone, because it will self-destruct.
That's the idea behind a project at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where researchers are investigating how to build electronics that vanish in water.
John Rogers is a professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the university. Rogers says the goal of the "born to die" program is to design transient technology that can dissolve at the end of its useful life, thus saving space in landfills and reducing waste.
The research team isn't there yet. But it has designed a chip built on a thin film of silk that dissolves when hit with water.
BALLOON KING MAKES MORE THAN 8,000 SCULPTURES: BRIGHTON, Mich. (AP) — The balloon man is back on top.
Tim Thurmond of the Brighton area says he turned nearly 8,300 balloons into sculptures in 24 hours, reclaiming a record he had for nine years. He says he's tired but "doing OK."
The 32-year-old blew into balloons and sculpted them next to the Oh My Lolli! candy shop during last weekend's Taste of Brighton festival. The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus (http://bit.ly/14Wi28C) says at least two people observed Thurmond the entire time. A paramedic was also nearby.
Thurmond averaged nearly six balloons a minute. Candy store owner Keith Karp calls it "absolutely remarkable."
OFFICER USES HOTDOG BITS TO RESCUE DOG FROM ROOF : VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — An animal control officer equipped with hotdog bits has managed to rescue a 15-pound dog that somehow found itself stuck on the roof of a Vancouver, Wash., area house.
Homeowner Barry Klettke says he was backing out of his driveway Monday morning with his own dog, Bella, in the passenger seat when Bella growled.
Hhe looked up to see what she saw and there was the dog on his roof. He called 911.
Clark County animal control officer Patrick Higbie says he's responded to calls involving birds stuck on roofs but never a dog. The Chihuahua mix was taken to the Humane Society for Southwest Washington.
