A nanoscale coating that’s at least 95-percent air repels the broadest range of liquids of any material in its class, causing them to bounce off the treated surface, according to the University of Michigan (UM) engineering researchers who developed it.

In addition to super stain-resistant clothes, the coating could lead to breathable garments to protect soldiers and scientists from chemicals, and advanced waterproof paints that dramatically reduce drag on ships.

T he Breakthrough Award by Popular Mechanics magazine was presented to University of Michigan (U-M) professor Jessy Grizzle for creating MABEL, a robot that walks with the agility of a human and runs at a 9-minute mile pace.

(University of Michigan: Ann Arbor, MI) -- This course, based on the book, Toyota Kata, by Mike Rother (McGraw-Hill, 2010) presents the next level of thinking in lean and operations management.

In the United States, factories produce about 75 percent of what the country consumes, but the right decisions by both business and political leaders could push that to 95 percent, say University of Michigan (U-M) researchers.