An overly thick exterior will easily overwhelm the filling within, while a too thin shell will not maintain the structure of the bonbon if the centre is very soft.

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Nicolo Bini (whose father invented the thin-shell structures) plans to bring them to mass market this year.

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Hovering close to the ground, each of these thin-shell dwellings is made entirely out of a single concrete slab stretched out to create an energy efficient structure that is environmentally greener than traditional construction methods and cheaper and faster to produce.

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Whereas the original prototype had a thin, flimsy shell, the Virta 2's gone downright rugged, ditching the iPhone chrome for a more durable gunmetal frame, and there's a full compliment of sensors (compass, accelerometer, ambient light and proximity) alongside quad-band radios, WiFi, Bluetooth and a pair of cameras for your video chat testing needs.

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It went public that September, with the ticker THIN, by merging with a shell company.

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It offers the full protection of a hard-shell case with an ultra-thin, light-weight, low-profile design.

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Compared to the 2.5-inch-thin Lenovo ThinkCentre 91z, which actually makes that claim, it's 4.1-inch thick shell is chunky, though no more so than a small television.

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