Circuit

Researchers at MIT have unexpectedly stumbled upon a way to 3D print active electronics – meaning transistors and components for controlling electrical signals – without the use of semiconductors or even special fabrication technology.

Looking to tackle a significant part of our huge e-waste problem, Jiva has developed a PCB substrate that breaks down in water for easier recovery of materials. The startup is now partnering with manufacturers to demo and evaluate the Soluboards.

Water is usually something you’d want to keep away from electronic circuits, but engineers in Germany have now developed a new concept for water-based switches that are much faster than current semiconductor materials.

German startup Next Dynamics has unveiled the NexD1, a multi-color, multi-material 3D printer for the home that can use a conductive resin to create custom electronic circuit boards.

The latest startup to join the electronics edutainment crowd is Mad Tatu with a circuit building system that rises up from the table top for 3D projects that look like a crazy plumber has turned his hand to teaching.

The more circuits and connectors flex, the higher the likelihood they'll break. While we've seen self-healing chips, gels and microcapsules before, a new material out of Pennsylvania State University brings auto-repair to dielectrics – the materials that insulate electric currents.​

Using a phenomenon dubbed "Teslaphoresis," researchers have made carbon nanotubes self-assemble to form a circuit linking two LEDs and then used the energy from that same field to power them

A flexible, paper-like ceramic material has been created that promises to provide an inexpensive, fireproof, non-conductive base for a whole range of new and innovative electronic devices.

A new polymer hydrogel reassembles itself when broken, and could lead to self-healing electronic circuits (which in turn could result in sturdier, more reliable flexible electronics) as well as longer-lasting rechargeable batteries. The gel also has potential applications in soft robotics.

A new chip design could lead to massively parallel, energy efficient computation that handles complex tasks like pattern recognition better and faster than ever before.

The design and prototyping of printed electronic circuit boards has lagged behind the simple push-button approach used in 3D printing. To help remedy this, the Voltera V-One conductive ink printer promises to produce rapid, multi-layered boards simply and quickly, with the minimum of fuss.

The folks who successfully crowdfunded a DIY singing Tesla coil kit last year have taken to Kickstarter again to bring a smaller version into production. Like its older and bigger brother, the tinyTesla shoots out bolts of artificial lightning while playing MIDI music using the electricity itself.