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Circuits Everywhere

Posted by timothy on from the smart-facial-tissue dept.

cpk0 writes "ABCNews is reporting on a small, New York based company that is now using and creating a technique of printing circuits directly onto paper with conductive inks. The uses up to this point are somewhat trivial, but the idea is undeniably exciting, and the article outlines some of the future ideas T-Ink Inc. has for this technology." Including electronic candy, oddly enough. Update: 10/27 17:24 GMT by T : Associated Press Technology Editor Frank Bajak points out that this story comes from The Associated Press, which deserves the credit.

7 of 144 comments (clear)

  1. So... by Empiric · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Hardwarez?

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  2. Printed Circuits! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Surely we've seen this before. Electrical engineers have been using those metal pens for years. Honestly, with this method you still need a specialized printer. A conductive ink wouldn't be any better then say, a printed metal circuit. If the cost of a cartridge of ink for my HP is any indication, it wouldn't be cheaper either!

  3. What about components? by jkrise · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I mean, what good is a circuit without components? It's be half interesting if I draw a diode and the 'conductive ink' actually soldered a diode on the 'paper'. This thing is just for the circuit board.

    Much ado about less than nothing, IMO.

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    If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
    1. Re:What about components? by jkrise · · Score: 2, Insightful

      For one who's on a hobby, a simple general-purpose PCB is more than enough. I've done 8255 based circuits with these.

      With this technology, you can't even apply your soldering iron - the 'board' would simply melt. For anything approaching proffessional or production-grade stuff, this is useless. Good old PCBs are more than adequate for now.

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      If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
  4. Trivial? by anethema · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Depends, if its something you could just pop into your inkjet and print out a circuit, I dont see how thats trivial at all. On the other hand, if its some $10k printer..then BAH to them!
    Maybe i'll RTFA :D

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    It's easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.
  5. Progress by value_added · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Given the prevalence of flashing banner ads on the web, there's an unescapable irony in reading "Our goal is a total print medium where your paper is going to talk." followed by the comment "For now, the technology is available in limited form and in somewhat trivial applications."

    So instead of a medium that could take on the form of a PBS documentary, or have the ability to listen to a Peter Jennings voice narrate the text while we're having coffee, we're going to get something more resembling the Fox News meets Entertainment Tonight, or maybe a Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Cleanser commercial?

    And I wonder how much more we'll all be paying to read our newspapers? Or for those of us pining for the Good Old Days, how much the "Premium Service" newsprint edition will be cost us?

  6. As if the exact wording was in english? by tjstork · · Score: 2, Insightful


    Really, do you think the original hebrew / aramaic was exactly like that?

    Besides, I thought all of the end of the world types thought the social security number was the mark of the beast. After all, a godless liberal named Frank Roosevelt invented the system.

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