Artificial “platelets” could fix leaking pipes just as natural ones help blood clot in a cut.
Squishy blobs introduced upstream of a leak are carried along to the leak and clog it up as a temporary fix. The “scab” also shows where the leak is. Made by Brinker Technology of Aberdeen, UK, they have been tested in oil pipes owned by Shell and BP. The tests used polymer cubes between 0.3 and 50 millimetres across.
The type of fluid in the pipe and its pressure determine the size, shape and material used for the blobs: they must be neutrally buoyant…
