The way we’re going about making circuits has been rapidly changing in the past few years, and it’s largely thanks to conductive inks. These ultra-thin, ultra-lightweight inks can be inserted into thin objects or even printed on paper, totally eliminating the need for bulky framework. Circuit Scribe started out as a Kickstarter project and is now available via retail outlets, and it’s spent the past couple of years proving just how awesome it is.

The concept behind Circuit Scribe is easy even for non-technical folks to understand. Instead of wires, soldering, and a lot of specialized knowledge, you can draw circuits on paper with the non-toxic, water-based ink. Circuit Scribe sells modules that you can snap onto your creations with magnets to make working lights, sound modules and even a small motor.

Although you can use it to make some pretty rad toys and gifts, the Circuit Scribe is important on an even larger scale. It’s among the first generation of similar products that allow anyone to make electronics without a whole lot of prior knowledge. The process of using Circuit Scribe to make things actually leads to the learning (rather than the learning leading to the making) which is a fun, engaging type of education.

As far as functionality goes, the Circuit Scribe system is far easier to use than some of its competitors which are bulkier and can take hours to dry. The Circuit Scribe pen lets you draw and then immediately use your drawing to make something fun. People who are interested in electronics and engineering careers will still need to learn traditional methods as well, but conductive ink gives you the kind of instant gratification that just makes you want to keep playing and learning.

The post Conductive Ink Pen Lets You Draw Custom Working Circuits first appeared on Gajitz.

The Rabbit Proto is a huge leap forward in the way we use 3D printers. Rather than printing a shell of an electronic object and requiring the guts to be inserted later, the Rabbit fits onto the head of your RepRap 3D printer to print circuits right into the object.

Using a 10cc syringe to inject lines of conductive ink, the Rabbit lays down circuits inside of the object as the RepRap printer is making it. The Rabbit Proto is a print head add-on that just plugs into your existing RepRap printer, so if you’re already 3D printing your own stuff at home this will just add an amazing new layer of usefulness to your printer.

The video above shows a video game controller being designed and printed, circuitry and all, on a RepRap fitted with the Rabbit Proto. In this case, the syringe is filled with Bare Conductive ink – but the creators encourage people to use novel materials in the print head add-on.

The Rabbit Proto team demonstrated one unusual printing material in this video: peanut butter. You can buy your own Rabbit Proto pre-made from the group or find instructions for making your own on GitHub.

The post 3D Printer Addition Inserts Circuits Into Printed Objects first appeared on Gajitz.

Public transportation is enough to make some people want to go home and never leave again. Buses – and particularly bus stops – are not the friendliest of places, but a cute marketing campaign for Duracell makes waiting for the bus a positively warm and fuzzy experience.

In Canada, in the middle of one of the coldest winters on record, Duracell installed heaters in some bus shelters. But there was a catch: in order to activate the heaters, bus stop patrons had to complete a circuit by connecting the two sides of the shelter. The shelter walls were too wide for one person to reach both sides – so people waiting at the stop had to cooperate.

In order to connect the two sides and activate the heaters, the folks in the bus shelter held hands. The circuit was complete and the bus waiters got to warm up – and maybe they managed to make a small human connection in the process. The campaign is intentionally a bit sappy, but the technology behind the bus stop warmers is certainly admirable – and very memorable.

The post Cold Canadian Bus Stops are Heated by Human Connections first appeared on Gajitz.