I made some sheets of Viscoelastic Silicone Rubber (Vistik™) for a documentary on Earthquakes. It turns out that the earth’s mantle is a viscoelastic solid that is similar to Vistik™, though much hotter.

Vistik™ is a unique material that is firm and bouncy when you push on it suddenly, but soft and compliant when you press on it patiently. When stressed, it conforms to almost any shape. When that stress is removed, it returns to its original shape.

Vistik™ is a sophisticated variation on ordinary silicone rubber, and it retains many of silicone rubber’s best features. Its adaptive character, however, is like nothing you’ve ever seen. Memory foam has resemblance to Vistik™, in that both materials change shape slowly and remember their new shapes temporarily. But Vistik™ can provide much stronger support than memory foam and Vistik™ can bounce!

Potential applications of Vistik™ include shoe insoles, orthotics, prosthetics, adaptive grips, sports padding, impact protection, furniture, and many more. If you are interested in learning more about Vistik™, please contact Oettinger, Marc (Marc.Oettinger@virginia.edu), 434-982-1608) at UVa Innovations.

Lou Bloomfield
Professor of Physics
University of Virginia