Making Stuff: Smarter
Explore a new generation of ingenious materials, from clothes that monitor your mood to real-life invisibility cloaks. Aired February 9, 2011 on PBS
- Posted 02.09.11
- NOVA
Program Description
"Making Stuff: Smarter" looks at materials that respond to their environments and even learn, such as an airplane wing that changes shape as it flies. Scientists are turning to nature in developing such "smart" stuff. Sharkskin, for instance, has inspired a substance that, when sprayed in hospitals, could eliminate antibiotic-resistant bacteria. David Pogue visits a scientist who has even created a material that can render objects invisible. "Smarter" concludes with a vision of the ultimate in "life-like" stuff: programmable matter that could create a duplicate of a human being.
The other programs in the "Making Stuff" series are "Stronger," "Smaller," and "Cleaner."
"Making Stuff" is produced in cooperation with the Materials Research Society (MRS), an international organization of nearly 16,000 materials researchers from academia, industry, and government, and a recognized leader in promoting the advancement of interdisciplinary materials research to improve the quality of life.
Broadcast Credits
Making Stuff: Smarter
- Host
- David Pogue
- Written, Produced and Directed By
- Daniel Mccabe
- Executive Producer
- Chris Schmidt
- Executive Producers
- For Powderhouse Productions
- Joel Olicker
Tug Yourgrau - Associate Producer
- Minna Kane
- Edited By
- Daniel Mccabe
Justin Vaida - Additional Editing By
- Brian Cassin
Jean Dunoyer - Directors of Photography
- Gary Henoch
Stephen Mccarthy - Additional Photography
- Dennis Boni
Robert Burns
Tim Cragg
Joe Livolsi - Underwater Camera
- Eddy Raphael
- Sound Recordists
- Frank Collins
Philip Perkins
David Wade
Greg Hinnen
Anna Rieke
Glen Abbey
John Cameron
Tyler B. Stephens
Adam Prescod
Geoff Gann
Kevin Cook
Glen Ackers
Mark Arees
Dave C. Manahan - Grips and Gaffers
- Jesse Hubbell
Ari Manin
Joshua Weinhaus
Brian Patriacca - Production Assistant
- Daniel V. Parsons
- Music
- Lunch Special Music
- Animation
- Edgeworx, Llc
- Additional Animation
- halfadeer, vfx
Pixeldust - Production Managers
- Alexandra Mchale
Diane Knox - Post Production Supervisors
- Kevin Young
Michael Fallon - Assistant Editors
- Eric P. Gulliver
Peter Hyzak
Jim Fetela - Online Editor / Colorist
- Julie Kahn
- Audio Mix
- Heart Punch Studio, Inc
- Interns
- Katie Duffy
Nicole Jaques
Travis Kelley
Michael Ryan
Zach Vitale - For Powderhouse Productions
- Post Production Manager
- Melissa Walter Richards
- Senior Production Coordinator
- Carlin Corrigan
- Vp of Production
- Daniel Miller
- Senior VP of Production and Post
- Robert Kirwan
- Senior VP of Sales and Development
- Seanbaker Carter
- Archival Material
- Daniel Zatz / Footage Search
Footage Provided By Thought Equity Motion
Getty Images
iStockphoto
NASA
Nature Publishing Group
Photolibrary
Pond5
Streamline Films, Inc. - Special Thanks
- Producers Gratefully Acknowledge the Cooperation of the Materials Research Society.
- Richard A. Souza
Amy Moll
Kristin Bennett
Jerry Floro
Megan Frary
Kevin Jones
Tommie Kelley
Alex King
Aditi Risbud
Stephen Streiffer
Rick Vinci
Sandra Devincent Wolf - Special Thanks
- Wallaby Ranch
Florida Museum of Naturalhistory
Professor Stephen Sass, Cornell University - NOVA Series Graphics
- yU + Co.
- NOVA Theme Music
- Walter Werzowa
John Luker
Musikvergnuegen, Inc. - Additional NOVA Theme Music
- Ray Loring
Rob Morsberger - Post Production Online Editor
- Michael H. Amundson
- Closed Captioning
- the Caption Center
- Publicity
- Eileen Campion
Victoria Louie
Karen Laverty - Marketing
- Steve Sears
- Researcher
- Kate Becker
- Novaadministrator
- Kristen Sommerhalter
- Production Coordinator
- Linda Callahan
- Paralegal
- Sarah Erlandson
- Talent Relations
- Scott Kardel, Esq.
Janice Flood - Legal Counsel
- Susan Rosen
- Associate Producer Post Production
- Patrick Carey
- Post Production Supervisor
- Regina O'Toole
- Post Production Editor
- Rebecca Nieto
- Post Production Manager
- Nathan Gunner
- Compliance Manager
- Linzy Emery
- Development Producer
- Pamela Rosenstein
David Condon - Supervising Producer
- Stephen Sweigart
- Business and Production Manager
- Jonathan Loewald
- Senior Producer and Project Director, Margret &Amp; Hans Rey / Curious George Producer
- Lisa Mirowitz
- Coordinating Producer
- Laurie Cahalane
- Senior Science Editor
- Evan Hadingham
- Senior Series Producer
- Melanie Wallace
- Executive Producer
- Howard Swartz
- Managing Director
- Alan Ritsko
- Senior Executive Producer
- Paula S. Apsell
Produced by Powderhouse Productions
A NOVA Production by Powderhouse Productions for WGBH
© 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation
All Rights Reserved
Participants
- Kellar Autumn
- Biologist
- Tony Brennan
- Biomaterials Engineer
- Mark Cutkosky
- Mechanical Engineer
- Daniel Inman
- Materials Scientist
- Chad Knowles
- Iraq War Veteran
- Bob Langer
- Chemical Engineer
- Russ Monk
- Dir. of Operations, H.I.T.
- Tom Ohnstad
- Dir. of Engineering, H.I.T.
- John Pendry
- Theoretical Physicist
- David Pogue
- New York Times Tech Columnist
- Shravanthi Reddy
- Chemical Engineer
- David Smith
- Electrical Engineer
- Lynn Yanyo
- Polymer Engineer
- Cristina Zenato
- Shark Expert
Education and Outreach Resources
Editors' Picks
-
Making Stuff: Series Overview
Technology reporter David Pogue hosts a four-part special series exploring the materials that will shape our future.
-
The Stuff of Smartphones
See the materials and technologies that go into a smartphone as well as their environmental impact.
-
Nature’s Super-Materials
See some of Nature's stickiest, toughest, and cleanest materials, and learn how they are inspiring new products.
-
Making Stuff: Smaller
Future technologies will depend on tiny stuff—from silicon chips to micro-robots that probe the human body.
-
“Making Stuff” Production...
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of NOVA’s materials science series with David Pogue.
