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Utility Fluid

Also known as Utility Gel

Utility fluid
Image from Steve Bowers
Utility Fluid
Form of utility fog which, in its dormant state looks like a puddle or pond, and has the rough consistency of pudding or thick soup. This is self-repairing technology which, when not needed, withdraws into a 'feeding' reservoir where its energy needs are cared for. Properly designed, there can be a constant slow stream of utility fluid going back and forth from this reservoir and replacing bits which are tiring.

Utility liquid carries with it a fluid matrix which acts as a coolant as well as an energy conduit; the outermost layer of utility liquid is capable of forming a membrane, similar to surface tension, although this layer can be dissipated quickly if necessary, or reinforced to form a rigid shell. A common utility fluid design is a dynamic hydrogel. Fibril-like micro-bots arrange themselves in the liquid giving it a pseudo solid state thanks to the extreme surface tension. Adjusting their shape and configuration can adjust the apparent movement and viscosity of the fluid. At lower viscosities the less control the fibrils have over the fluid. At an extreme the bots can form one bubble layer around the liquid, if the total mechanical strength is sufficient for the fluid's mass.

Utility liquid can form solid shapes which are capable of supporting external objects, and if necessary these shapes can be reinforced internally using diamondoid or similar ultrastrong materials, allowing significant structural integrity.

The outermost layers of utility fluid can be reconfigured to project images, and can transmit sounds and haptic sensations to a user embedded inside the fluid. Such a user can experience a completely (and literally) immersive virtual environment inside the fluid, while the fluid also supplies breathable air (and olfactory stimuli if required).
Utility Foglet
Image from Steve Bowers
A single foglet of Utility Fog; this model has twelve arms, arranged in a dodecahedral shape. In Utility fluid, these foglets are submerged in a suitable liquid.
One common use of utility fluid is to surround and protect a user who is subject to extreme acceleration and sudden shocks. A spacecraft compartment, or a spacesuit, may be completely filled with utility fluid which immerses the occupant or occupants in a suitable and safe environment, which may either display navigational and tactical information or a virtual environment for entertainment. The physical needs of the user can be taken care of by the gel, while providing any pharmaceutical input if required (for neurological augmentation or recreational purposes).


Utility Foam

Utility Foam
Image from Steve Bowers
Utility Foam can be used by astronauts and mobile devices to adhere to the surface of objects with very low intrinsic gravity. The increased surface area allows a better grip on the regolith, which is itself often loosely bound.
Utility foam is a specialised form of utility fluid which contains large bubbles, usually in the form of sealed and inflated vacuoles that contain gases which increase the volume of the fluid while decreasing its density. The bubbles may be inflated by small pumps or valves which extract volatiles from the environment, or they may be inflated from tiny high-pressure diamondoid reservoirs, that resemble the respirocyte elements in artificial blood.

Utility foam often incorporates a network of cilia and/or fine tentacles which can grip the surface and manipulate local materials. A mass of utility foam (sometimes known as a congeries) can completely enfold a user or a delicate piece of equipment, and provide a localised safe environment with breathable air (if required). U-foam can also be used to protect a sophont from damage and shocks, like utility fluid in general, but because utility foam is less dense it is easier to carry and quicker to deploy.

Because it occupies a mid-ground between utility-liquid and utility-sand, but has the low density of utility fog, it can overlap with all in some degree. U-foam can emulate display screens and control surfaces in a ground craft, aircraft or spacecraft, and form the outside walls of a habitat, manufactory or storage unit, which can be filled with breathable air, fuel or inert gas. Inside such a structure u-foam can form furniture, equipment and decorative items, although it has less strength, weight and damage resistance than u-sand.

U-foam can be also be used as a non-lethal weapon or restraint system, capable of restraining offenders or combatants without causing harm, as an alternative to myoribbon and restraint hooks.
 
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Appears in Topics
Drytech/HylotechHigh Tech / HitechInfrastructure
Nanotech
 
Development Notes
Text by Steve Bowers, Ryan B (Rynn) and arcanelviejo
Initial stub article by John B
Initially published on 06 March 2002.

Updated with Utility Foam section by Steve Bowers and arcanelviejo 12/3/25

Expanded from a single paragraph, June 2020
 
 
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