It's unlikely any aliens call Kepler-37b home: it's thought to be rocky, with no atmosphere, and hugs its sun in a 13-day orbit cycle, meaning surface temperature is terribly high.

ENGADGET: NASA's Kepler telescope spies smallest planet to date, no aliens

However, there are problems with longer-term use, as the skin constantly produces new cells, while those at the surface die and are brushed off, meaning a new sensor would need to be attached at least every fortnight.

BBC: Health

The yeast fuses itself to the surface and feeds the wort at an increased rate, meaning the fermentation process takes only a few hours.

CNN: New ideas brewing in beer industry

The crushed-brick mixture that constitutes the base of a clay court produces a the highest bounce and most friction of the three surfaces, meaning they have the lowest CPR of all three surface types and are considered as the "slowest".

CNN: Tennis interactive: Why clay is so different

Also, the new polymer enables a surface to repair damage automatically, without the application of any other materials, meaning that the new surfaces should be affordable.

BBC: Coating heals itself after damage

For Gatorade, Carter said the ingredient is used as an "emulsifier, " meaning it distributes flavoring evenly so that it doesn't collect at the surface.

WSJ: Gatorade to remove controversial ingredient

It could also be used with a camera-based position detection system as shown above, meaning your finger's location and force could be calculated on a non-active surface like an ordinary table.

ENGADGET: Sony patent claims touch force detection via microphone