Marbles play a key role in worldwide efforts to provide water to poor people in developing countries. EMAS -- Escuela Móvil de Agua y Saneamiento -- the "Mobile School for Water and Sanitation" teaches local residents to make manually-operated water pumps that use materials from hardware stores, including plastic pipe and marbles. The marbles move up and down inside the valves of simple pumps to control the flow of water.
As of 2011, the nation of Gambia uses marbles as part of a voting system introduced in 1965. Because illiteracy created a voting barrier for residents, the Gambian government implemented a voting system that uses marbles and colored barrels. The voter selects the barrel color assigned to the candidate of his choice and deposits a clear marble into the tube protruding from the top of the barrel. Election officials count the vote using trays that hold 50 marbles at a time. Historically, the term "blackballing" came from marble ballot boxes used by fraternal organizations and trade associations. When members voted on the admission of newcomers, they used black marbles to vote "no" and white marbles to vote "yes." Any prospective member receiving one black marble could not join the group. According to the Smithsonian institution, American national elections have never used marble ballot boxes.
French scientists have created microscopic liquid marbles made of fluid surrounded by water-repellent particles. The coating -- made of moss spores and silane -- lets the marbles roll across a surface, float on water or bounce off a piece of glass. Australian researches have successfully used magnetic processes to move fluids into and out of liquid marbles. As of May 2011, scientific teams have identified potential uses for microscopic liquid marbles on computer chips; as sensors for ammonia and hydrochloric acid; for chemical and biological analysis; and in the pharmaceutical industry.
Reflective markings on highways, airports and parking lots have clear glass beads embedded in reflective pavement markings. The beads must meet criteria for size, index of refraction, and composition from either reclaimed or newly manufactured glass. Airport reflective material requires the largest beads, measuring 1 mm in diameter. Reflective highway markings and some airport markings use smaller bead sizes.