The body of engineering knowledge combined with the Internet can lead to quick expertise in any area.

A team from the University of Tokyo, Japan have created a way to print conductive ink onto a piece of paper from an everyday inkjet printer. This would allow hobbyists, engineers, or researchers a cheap, fast, and reliable way to quickly create and test PCB designs.

Overall, the team’s work has shown us that printed circuits can be a reality soon. Teams working in labs can take advantage of the rapid prototyping it will allow as well as a hobbyist working from home. The technology may also be integrated with 3D printing or pick-and-place machines, which would open a whole new door in the electronics world. My intuition is that we will be seeing more of this technology soon and being applied in many more situations and applications.