Why advanced materials are more exciting than flying cars
Remember when people thought we’d have flying cars by 2025? Yet here we are, dodging potholes instead of air traffic and that’s assuming you even have a car.
One day flying cars will change everything, but for now, materials science is quietly shaping the world around us. At INAM, we think that’s a story worth telling because progress happens when we improve the fundamentals: how strong materials are, how light they are, and how they interact with energy and the environment.
Without better materials, a flying car is just a heavy drone that will run out of battery after two minutes.
What are advanced materials?
Advanced materials are specially engineered substances designed to perform better than traditional materials, often through manipulation at the molecular level. These materials have superior properties that allow them to be lighter, stronger, more durable, or more energy-efficient.
Materials are already changing everything without the Hollywood fanfare
You don’t have to look far to find deep tech startups doing far more for our daily lives than anything flying over them.
Skeleton Technologies (Estonia) is building supercapacitors with curved graphene, charging electric vehicles in seconds instead of hours.
Bolt Threads (USA) created a bioengineered spider silk, lighter than steel and tougher than Kevlar for next-generation textiles and fashion.
Xampla (UK) is replacing single-use plastics with plant protein materials that break down naturally, with no harmful microplastics left behind.
Nūmi (France) produces human breast milk using cell culture to provide infants with ideal nutrition.
These companies aren’t pitching sci-fi futures (yet). They’re solving problems we face today by using smarter materials.
What advanced materials unlock
Our tagline, “Empowering innovation everywhere,” emphasises our commitment to driving materials innovation across industries, borders, and even in outer space! It is our vision for the future. Here’s why we think materials innovation is more exciting (and profitable) than flying cars:
Energy storage gets faster, cleaner, and cheaper.
Construction becomes lighter, stronger, and more sustainable.
Healthcare sees new biocompatible implants and smart drug delivery systems.
Electronics become flexible, transparent, and even biodegradable.
The list could go on and on. Advanced materials redefine what's possible. It’s the kind of innovation that happens behind the scenes, until someone makes a movie about it (somewhat like Hidden Figures).
And the best part
At INAM, we work with startups that are right at the heart of these shifts, whether it’s developing new coatings, composites, electronics, and more. Innovation equips industries with new tools and technologies to create a smarter, more efficient future, often without many of us even realizing it.
We’re a deep tech community where progress is built molecule by molecule, not headline by headline. Flying cars might still be a few decades (and regulations) away, but breakthroughs in material science are here today. And honestly, we think that’s a little cooler.
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