High-Tech Gum Won’t Permanently Stick to Street, Transforms to Powder

Little brothers may no longer be plaguing sister’s long hair. Pant legs may not longer get stuck to the sticky substance smooched underneath a desk. Shoes may no longer squish the street blob subsequently picking up other lovely debris on the way. If you haven’t figured it out by now, the plaguing, sticky blob is gum. And what’s preventing its traditionally permeant stickiness is a new high-tech variety that doesn’t need harsh substances like Goo-Gone and elbow grease to get it out. Water will turn Rev7 into a fine powder. There’s a catch though: right now, it takes months to go from gum to completely powder. According to Treehugger, in America alone 10o million pounds of gum are chewed like cud each year and the majority is not disposed of properly. Countries like Singapore have banned gum importation for this reason. Unlike other degradable gum we’ve seen, which may not have the satisfying chewing experience — because it dissolves — Rev7 is both water soluble and not. What does this mean? It absorbs water, but very slowly, which is why it will take a month to fully dissolve. But normal cleaning techniques like hose and broom will at least be able to remove it from surfaces easier than traditional chewing gum. Here’s how it works.

(Graphic via Rev7Gum)

[h/t Slashgear]