Mercedes-Benz recently announced a project they are developing where the car's paint is made of photovoltaic (PV) materials that can generate enough power to energize the car for an entire day. No more need to plug-in and recharge the battery. 

Think about that for a minute – a fully independent energy solution that doesn't require any additional infrastructure to power electric vehicles. 

My mind started racing to other practical applications where this type of paint could be useful. How about every home and commercial building? That would be amazing. 

It's a ways off, like most laboratory breakthroughs, but they're proving the science is possible and samples are working. Now it's a matter of making it commercially-viable at scale and improving the designs to make it even better, even more efficient, and much longer lasting. 

Investment in Materials science and engineering is a huge opportunity for innovation going forward. “What's it made from?” has become a cliche question over the years, but every advancement leads to new thinking that pushes us forward, whether it's solar-powered paint, biocompatible nanoparticles, or advanced structures for stronger, more durable 3D printing.