Our perpetually-dropped smartphones have pushed glass manufacturers to create stronger and more durable materials to survive our clumsiness. But if you’re curious just how advanced glass making techniques have gotten, someone has made a 9m working glass slide that’s completely transparent.
The Vidre-Slide, designed by engineers at Eckersley O’Callaghan working with the glassmakers at Cricursa, is actually made from two half-cylindrical sections of glass that were glued together using a special silicone adhesive.
The highly-skilled bonding process required for this build not only dramatically increases the strength of the glass, it also ensures it remains completely transparent once cured, giving the slide its striking appearance.
Even the Vidre-Slide’s 4m-tall ladder is made entirely of glass, including its load-bearing rungs. Everything except the heavy base that prevents it from toppling is transparent, and surprisingly the slide can accommodate riders weighing up to 100kg.
So cracking definitely shouldn’t be your main concern if you somehow convince its creators to make one for your backyard. Keeping it free of fingerprints and other smudges? That’s what’s going to keep you up at night.