Fabrication

When it comes to printed electronics, the word of the year—indeed of the decade—has been “potential.” The idea of cheap, abundant printed electronics has been around about as long as the idea of “ubiquitous computing” and the “Internet of Things”—the idea that every object around you will contain components that connect it to the vast electronic infrastructure of our work and personal lives. Yet, something happened along the way to realizing this dream. Or, perhaps, something didn’t happen.

Here’s a riddle: Without touching them, how do you pick up small, delicate parts, such as those with ultrafine finishes or tiny, electronic components sensitive to electrostatic discharge? Answer: With vacuum tweezers.