This new plastic technology made with inkjet style printing will allow devices to communicate with lower power than today’s wireless signals.

Here’s a great example of the futuristic things you can do with plastics and a bit of ingenuity! A researcher has used an inkjet style printing technique to deposit various electronic components on a plastic sheet. These components, ranging from MEMs, switches, transistors, and coils can create a conductive communication mesh which will allow devices placed on the surface to communicate. By using what’s effectively a wired connection instead of wireless technologies, much less power is used thus allowing the devices to communicate long-term and as-needed.

Read more about the communicating plastic at Technology Review (a great magazine, BTW!) and then get to thinking what you can do with plastic to make your projects more efficient and unique!