Electronics

Back in February, Darren Quick wrote about the unique properties of Molybdenite and how this material, previously used mostly as a lubricant, could actually outshine silicon in the construction of transistors and other electronic circuits. In brief: it's much more energy efficient than silicon, and you can slice it into strips just three atoms thick - meaning that you can make transistors as much as three times smaller than before, and make them flexible to boot. Well, the technology has now been proven with the successful testing of the world's first molybdenite microchip in Switzerland. Does this mean Lausanne will become known as "Molybdenite Valley?" Read More

Researchers from Japanese company Asahi Kasei Fibers have developed what is claimed to be the world's first elastic electric cable. Inspired by the extensibility of human skin, the Roboden cable has been initially designed as a wiring solution for humanoid robots and wearable electronics. The stretchy cable could also find its way into personal electronics in the form of power cords or USB data cables. Read More

Crypteks is bringing out our inner Robert Langdon with the new physically lockable USB flash drive. Featuring a sleek all-metal solid-aluminum alloy construction, the Crypteks USB storage is physically locked inside its housing encrypted with a user-created password that is input by twisting five rings displaying all 26 letters of the alphabet. And if that's still not secure enough, it also offers 256-bit AES Hardware Encryption. Read More

Many of us still keep old LCDs that should have been discarded long time ago. There might be a good reason, however, to refrain from disposing of this obsolete equipment. By following a few simple steps, anyone can turn an old LCD into a privacy monitor with contents visible only to the person wearing a pair of special glasses (also home-built), while anyone else can only see a white surface. Read More

Since I was a small child, I've always wished that I had a machine that could produce anything I wanted at my command. Every once in a while, technology aligns with childhood wishes and you get magical products as a result. The Printrbot is one such concept. While 3D printers aren't new, the Printrbot aims to be the smallest and the simplest to construct on the market. Read More

Something of a prospective big stepbrother to Arduino, BoardX is a new DIY electronics kit dreamt up by robotics enthusiast turned entrepreneur, Kevin Green. Like Arduino, BoardX is a customizable and expandable motherboard that forms a base, schematically and structurally, to whatever electronics wizardry the end user has in mind. What separates BoardX from Arduino is its larger physical size, greater current-carrying capacity, and the fact that the board does not come with an integrated processor. Users must select their own. Read More

Bluetooth speakers are not particularly complex devices in terms of operation - you just pair them with a Bluetooth-enabled device, adjust the volume and enjoy the sound. However, a duo of industrial designers have created the Hidden Radio And Bluetooth Speaker in an attempt to make it even simpler and more intuitive. The unit is also claimed to offer an impressive 30 hours of battery life. Read More

Handheld projectors can be very useful devices when you need to project a large image on-the-go, but many of them lack enough brightness, resolution and battery life. California-based company AAXA Technologies has rolled out its P4 Pico Projector with the aim of addressing some of these issues - it offers 80 lumens of brightness, 75 minutes of battery life and can handle 720p videos. Read More

MimoMonitors.com has announced a new addition to its secondary monitors lineup. Billed as the world's first USB-powered capacitive touchscreen display, the Mimo Magic Touch features a 10.1-inch screen running at 1024 x 600 resolution. It can be used either with its dock/base, or simply held in the hand as a sort of tethered tablet. Read More