Self-healing circuits and electronic chips almost a reality
A team of scientists and engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have created a circuit that heals itself when cracked by releasing liquid metal to restore conductivity.
This can ultimately lead to longer-lasting gadgets, from computers and televisions to cars and space ships. Perhaps profits-driven electronics makers may not necessarily want longer lasting gadgets that stop them from selling newer models every 6 months, but the idea of having safer gadgets should make this new technology a worthwhile consumer pursuit.
Longer-lasting gadgets may not be such a bad thing in terms of consumer demand either. What if manufacturers offer consumers to trade in their existing long-lasting mobile phone for a discount on an upgrade, and in turn they can sell the old mobiles to developing countries for a small profit again? There is some economics in greener and less wasteful technology if we all look at the long term sums…
(Source: BBC)
