Inspiration Stories | Glass Inspiration | The Glass Age | Corning

"The future of how you interact with computers depends on a technology that's more than 3,000 years old." 

Learn more from Dustin Dwyer on an episode of NPR's "All Things Considered" as he explores the Glass Age to see how glass is paving the way to the future.

Dr. Jeffrey Evenson, Chief Strategy Officer at Corning Incorporated and Chairman of the Corning Museum of Glass, discusses the impact glass has had on science and culture, describes the journey glass has made from magic to science, and shares examples of cutting-edge glass innovations that are transforming industries and enhancing our lives.

Glass is one of the most transformative materials of all time, responsible for numerous innovations from windows to telescopes to fiber optics. Yet despite this storied history, Corning believes we are living in the Glass Age today. One reason is the progress we have made on our journey from magic to science.

Glass has transformed the world we live in for centuries, revolutionizing modern technology while also enabling artistic expression. It’s a material that knows no limits, has no bounds, and continues to amaze scientists, artists, engineers, and designers.

Corning® Gorilla® Glass has delivered protection from drops, bumps, and scratches for the past 10 years. While this durable, yet elegant cover glass solution has been featured on more than 5 billion mobile consumer electronic devices, Gorilla Glass is now being designed into other applications.

From sending a tweet during the big game to ordering your favorite stadium treat from your seat, Corning’s ONE solution is bringing the ultimate fan experience to stadiums  and beyond across the country.

Television, online media, social media, digital media, online shopping - it goes without saying that we, as consumers, digest a variety of information in myriad ways on a daily basis. It can be difficult to focus on one topic and even more difficult for advertisers to break through the noise and garner our attention.

But high-tech glass offers a solution.

Brilliant bursts of inspiration come in all shapes and sizes – whether it’s your typical light bulb or a slim, bendable strand of Corning® Fibrance® Light-Diffusing Fiber lighting the way. But inspiration – and development – doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It takes collaboration, expertise, and a willingness to step out of the box to find the right answer. A combination Versalume knows quite well.

Throughout history, materials have transformed society and culture. There was the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age. This is the Glass Age.

Man-made glass dates back to at least 3,000 B.C. And, since its discovery, glass has made its mark on the world, spurring numerous revolutions -- from telescopes that expanded our understanding of the universe, to microscopes that led to the discovery of bacteria and viruses, to communications technologies that have transformed the way we interact with information and each other. But that’s just the beginning of glass’s story.

An event in Tokyo was aglow recently thanks in part to Corning’s Fibrance™ Light-Diffusing Fiber.

More than 1,200 people gathered at a special cultural event hosted by the popular Japanese rock-electronic band, Sakanaction. In addition to live music, the gathering showcased culture, technology, and art exhibits, including an installation with Fibrance technology.

When it comes to concept cars, auto enthusiasts tend to set aside traditional expectations.

Instead, they think beyond the everyday. They marvel at innovation and design so extreme that they’re suddenly thinking about cars and other devices in entirely new ways.

That’s exactly what’s happening with the Rinspeed Etos, the 2016 concept car which transforms the stylish BMW i8 with a host of futuristic features.

The flashiest feature of all is a drone with a built-in landing pad made from Corning® Gorilla® Glass.

Glass is at the heart of some of the most spectacular innovations shaping the modern world – and Corning continues to lead the conversation among top companies bringing those inventions to life. 

Gregory Euclide’s ink drawings hover almost imperceptibly above the canvas on which he creates them.

The artist might choose to save what he’s drawn, but he’s also just as likely to swipe it away, distort it with sprays of water, or let inky rivulets trickle across his painstaking work as he tilts the drawing on its side.

A musician has just discovered a new chord.

This is how Albert Paley feels while working with specialty glass. Albert, an American sculptor who works primarily with metal, has spent more than 40 years creating a prolific body of work that includes large-scale pieces such as the Portal Gates for the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. 

They are visionaries… pioneers… renegades. They are scientists… artists… innovators. Through glass, they see possibility and create a new reality.

Since the beginning of time, fascination with the unknown has launched sailing ships, ignited experiments, and propelled rockets into space. Explorers, whether they gaze out at the horizon or peer into a microscope, have always been relentless about unlocking secrets and opening the world.

Gleaming glass finishes are a hallmark of today’s sleek building designs — and that’s just part of the story.

Modern glass also combines perfectly with some of the construction industry’s latest technology, resulting in a whole new level of efficiency and affordability.

Cotton. Leather. Silk. Denim. Glass. Which one does not belong?

While it may not be the most obvious material when it comes to fashion, glass artists across the globe are proving that the versatile material has a role in the fashion world through a now well-known and popular Glass Fashion Show event.

Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage — known for taking complex scientific concepts and explaining them in lively, understandable ways — introduce viewers to The Glass Age with a brief look at the complex history of glass. And, Savage notes, “as a material, it has properties and characteristics we are only just beginning to understand.”