Read more: Homebrew technology: Imagination hacking
With a name like Squishy Circuits, it was clearly invented with kids in mind 鈥� but that didn鈥檛 stop this novel method of DIY circuitry from being a hit with adults at Maker Faire too.
By using a unique play dough, electronic circuits can be made without fiddly tools like a soldering iron or a breadboard. Circuits can also be moulded into just about any shape, which allows for inventive designs like a smiley face or a pig (see video above for ideas). And if you don鈥檛 like it, you can always scrunch up your creation and start again.
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To make a squishy circuit, you鈥檒l need to make two types of dough 鈥� one conducting and one insulating. Most play dough does conduct, but by variable amounts, so Samuel Johnson and at the University of St Thomas, Minnesota, decided to invent their own recipes, including one for a unique dough that insulates to prevent short circuits. Unlike normal play dough, the two types won鈥檛 mix together when they come into contact, meaning they retain their respective resistances.
To make your own squishy circuit you will need:
Conductive dough听听听听听听听听听听
- 250 millilitres water
- 240 grams flour
- 68 grams salt
- 45 millilitres cream of tartar
- 15 millilitres vegetable oil
- Food colouring (optional)
Insulating dough听听听听听听听听听听聽
- 240 grams flour
- 115 grams sugar
- 45 millilitres vegetable oil
- 5 millilitres granulated alum
- 125 millilitres deionised (distilled) water
For the circuits听听听听听听听听听
- Four AA batteries in a battery pack
- LEDs (light-emitting diodes)
- Conductive and insulating dough
Full instructions on how to make both types of dough .
