Scientists make a self-folding straw »

Because it is safe this could be used for cheap sensors to diagnose cancer and other diseases. It will be really important for biology. Scientists at The Australian National University (ANU) have made a new material which folds itself into a straw-like tube when it comes into with water, and then propels the liquid through the tube. The new material can be used to easily create cheap fluid distribution systems that could be used for medical sample analysis, biological sensors or micro-robotics. Lead researchers William Wong and Associate Professor Antonio Tricoli said the paper-like material can respond to a small water droplet by folding in a tube several centimetres long. The water then moves through the tube. "If we place a drop of water at one end, the material will curl into a tube, delivering the liquid up to 15 centimetres away," said Mr Wong, from the ANU Research School of Engineering.