Don't
be a lemon, put in a new razor blade
A razor that smells of fresh lemons when it needs replacing could
soon be saving men from early morning cuts and scrapes. The shaver
is coated with a layer of microscopic capsules filled with a smelly
chemical. As its blades wear down, the capsules are exposed to the
air, giving off a distinctive odour and informing the owner that
it needs to be thrown away. The razor is the invention of Andreas
Dietz, an expert in electroplating, who believes that the smelly
microcapsules could have uses outside the bathroom.
Dr Dietz, of the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and
Thin Films in Brunswick, Germany, said: "Wear occurs very frequently
on tools. We have now developed a process that makes it possible
to monitor the condition of coatings subjected to wear and tear,
without having to stop machines."
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