When most people think of a magnet, they visualize a hard chunk of metal, but that could change in the future. Two Japanese scientists developed a method to create organic magnets that have properties more like plastic than metal, Asian Scientist reported. These compounds are magnetized on a molecular level, and have the potential to revolutionize many areas of manufacturing and consumer goods.

The ability to create single organic molecules that possess magnetic properties has long been sought because it opens the door to a variety of applications for technology, including advanced data storage systems. The organic nature of these new molecules allows them to be manipulated in different ways than metal based magnets.

The full promise of organic magnets is not even known at this time. While they offer the potential to create artificial versions of rare naturally occurring magnets, current examples cannot be operated outside of specific sub-zero temperatures, according to ScienceDirect. This, and other limitations, mean that these magnets will remain untenable for many common applications for some time.

It will be years before consumers see these magnets for sale, though it's likely they will be embedded in a huge number of future goods. It's clear magnets in the future will be significantly different than those available today.