Computers used to require entire buildings to operate. Now they fit in our pockets. Similarly, factory-size electronics manufacturing is approaching a contraction. Want proof? Look at that $50 printer on your desk and imagine, instead of using it to spit out a hard copy of that thank-you note, that you used it to print some digital memory.
Computers used to require entire buildings to operate. Now they fit in our pockets. Similarly, factory-size electronics manufacturing is approaching a contraction. Want proof? Look at that $50 printer on your desk and imagine, instead of using it to spit out a hard copy of that thank-you note, that you used it to print some digital memory.
Not enough memory to power a laptop. Think smaller, like smart tags to inventory all the crap in your workshop. A study published today in the journal American Institute of Physics has a proof of concept for laser-printed memory cells—basically analogous to transistors—onto flexible sheets of plastic and foil. They aren’t ready for prime time, but in the long term, printing your own memory cells could help democratize electronics just like 3-D printers did for hardware.
Depending on your line of work, making these things should only take a fraction of your paycheck. First, there’s the $50 laserjet printer. Then get your hands on some PET foil sheets to print the circuits on—a roll of the stuff will cost you a few bucks, max. The priciest component is the silver ink, which runs between $300 and $400 for a 50 milliliter cartridge. Well, priciest depending on how much you spend on the rudimentary education in electrical engineering you’ll need to design your own memory cell matrices.
Read more at Wired
