Chocolate Shock Absorbers
(SFX: cachunking car) 
     SOME DAY DRIVE A CAR WITH SHOCK ABSORBERS MADE OF CHOCOLATE OR
SOMETHING VERY MUCH LIKE IT. CHRISTOPHER DAUBERT IS A FOOD ENGINEER AT NORTH
CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY AND HE NOTICED SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT
CHOCOLATE. 

     Daubert: "As I became more and more familiar with the ingredients of milk
chocolate I recognized that the mild chocolate material had all of the necessary
components for an electrorheological fluid."

     A WHAT? 

     Daubert: "an electrorheological fluid."

     RHEOLOGY IS THE STUDY OF HOW FLUIDS MOVE.  AN ELECTRORHEOLOGICAL FLUID
IS ONE THAT GETS THICKER AND THINNER IN AN ELECTRIC FIELD. CHOCOLATE FOR
EXAMPLE IS MADE OF LOTS OF SOLID DROPLETS IN AN OILY FLUID.  APPLY ELECTRICITY TO
MELTED CHOCOLATE AND ALL THE SOLID BITS LINE UP IN FORMATION, MAKING THE
CHOCOLATE INTO A SOLID.  

     Daubert: "Now when we remove an electric field the response is completely
reversable in other words the material goes back to its initial state."

     AND THE CHANGE FROM SOLID CHOCOLATE BAR TO MELTED MESS ALL HAPPENS
IN MILLISECONDS.  SOMETHING THAT GOES FROM SOFT TO HARD THAT QUICKLY WOULD
BE A GREAT CUSHION, WHICH IS WHY ELECTRORHEOLOGICAL FLUIDS MIGHT SEND DAY
END UP IN THE SHOCK ABSORBERS IN YOUR CAR.  OF COURSE, CAR MANUFACTURERS
PROBABLY WON'T ACTUALLY USE CHOCOLATE, just SOMETHING LIKE IT.  WHICH IS TOO
BAD REALLY.