http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2493486
ABSTRACT
This paper introduces a low cost, fast and accessible technology
to support the rapid prototyping of functional electronic
devices. Central to this approach of ‘instant inkjet circuits’
is the ability to print highly conductive traces and patterns
onto flexible substrates such as paper and plastic films
cheaply and quickly. In addition to providing an alternative to
breadboarding and conventional printed circuits, we demonstrate
how this technique readily supports large area sensors
and high frequency applications such as antennas. Unlike existing
methods for printing conductive patterns, conductivity
emerges within a few seconds without the need for special
equipment. We demonstrate that this technique is feasible
using commodity inkjet printers and commercially available
ink, for an initial investment of around US$300. Having presented
this exciting new technology, we explain the tools and
techniques we have found useful for the first time. Our main
research contribution is to characterize the performance of instant
inkjet circuits and illustrate a range of possibilities that
are enabled by way of several example applications which we
have built. We believe that this technology will be of immediate
appeal to researchers in the ubiquitous computing domain,
since it supports the fabrication of a variety of functional electronic
device prototypes.
Author Keywords
Inkjet-printing; Conductive Ink; Capacitive Sensors; Rapid
Prototyping; Digital Fabrication.
ACM Classification Keywords
B.m. Hardware: Miscellaneous
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owner(s).
UbiComp’13, September 8–12, 2013, Zurich, Switzerland.
ACM 978-1-4503-1770-2/13/09.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2493432.2493486
Figure 1. Silver nanoparticle ink is injected into an empty cartridge and
used in conjunction with an off-the-shelf inkjet printer to enable ‘instant
inkjet circuit’ prototyping.
General Terms
Design; Experimentation; Measurement.
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