You might not always realize it, but you’re never more than 10 feet away from 3M Science. From Scotch® tape and Post-it® notes to Scotchlite™ reflective lettering on street signs and the Thinsulate™ insulation that keeps you warm without bulk, 3M makes more than 55,000 products – many of which improve your life every day.
To create an environment where people could look, listen and explore 3M Science. Applied to Life.™, the company created the 3M LifeLab at this year’s SXSWi festival. The tent was constructed out of hundreds of Scotchlite™ reflective fabric panels zipped together and covered with dichromate film panels to create a colorful visual experience both day and night. Through interactive demos, attendees experienced how 3M science has been powering life-changing innovations for more than 100 years including:
3M™ Clean-Trace™ NG Luminometer to determine the level of contamination on a given surface within seconds – in the 3M LifeLab, it was used to test germ-ridden cellphones
3M™ Novec™ Fluid, a unique liquid that preserves pieces of art and historical documents
A 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective film used in everything from road signs to truck graphics transformed a photo booth to make the photos surprisingly brilliant
"Our DNA has always been about using science to solve problems," explains Jesse Singh, SVP of global marketing and sales for 3M. "Many companies can innovate; we perform the science behind innovation."
But the highlight of the weekend was a music event, in partnership with MTV, where DJ TOKiMONSTA took the stage in the 3M LifeLab to DJ from her heart – literally. Using a 3M™ Littmann® Electronic Stethoscope, the DJ recorded tracks of her breathing and her heartbeat, which were dispatched via Bluetooth to her computer allowing her to mix her heartbeat into the music as an underbeat as she was spinning.
3M has been providing innovations to the healthcare industry for decades. The 3M™ Littmann® Electronic Stethoscope is a powerful example of applying science to help improve lives. This technology lets health care providers remotely treat patients in some of the most isolated parts of the world.