Inking something electric

It’s easy to forget how quickly technology has moved in the past few years. We have a flying car – the Terrafugia Transition – which is a road-legal and Federal Aviation Administration-certified light sport aircraft. More than 100 customers that have put down a deposit to get one. At over $200,000, it might be out of most people’s price range for a few years; but it does show how close to the future we really are.

The devices we’re making would have been impossible just a few short years ago. For example, the introduction of synthesisers in the 80s allowed new types of music to be created by people who didn’t necessarily know how to play other instruments.

Making a circuit would’ve once taken a huge factory, expensive machines, specialist materials and high-level thinkers. In this age of advanced technology, the bridge between advanced functions and understanding is reducing.

A great example of this ‘new age’ is an ink that can create working circuits. Although this is something that has already been created in various forms, the product in question is a ballpoint pen.

Imagine silver ink coming from your pen, creating a circuit that only needs a small battery to work. You could turn that boring post-it note into a LED lightshow in an instant. Tech like this is coming out every day and closing the gap between knowledge and functionality.

What circuit would you make with your ink?