The makers of an electrically conductive paint, capable of being placed on nearly any surface, has produced a new take on its liquid wiring: a pen.
The inventors of the Bare Conductive pen — Isabel Lizardi, Matt Johnson, Bibi Nelson and Becky Pilditch — started work on their circuitous project while studying at the Royal College of Art in 2009.
"We were originally interested in trying to apply electronics to the skin ... so we arrived at this idea of applying them as a coating and eventually we got this idea of a conductive paint," Matt Johnson said to CNN.
The team, however, didn't turn to white papers or academic studies to craft their new paint. Instead, they said, the team took to Wikipedia, which had nearly all of the information they needed freely available.
They produced the paint in 2011.
While its inventors say the paint is safe, the liquid material is not intended to be painted onto the body. Instead, the substance can be applied to a variety of surfaces - from paper and plastic to metal and fabric - to create custom, low-power, circuits.
The paint is non-toxic and dries at room temperature. The pen is especially suitable for children who want to learn circuitry, and any DIYers who want to use a versatile, and flexible, circuit on a new project.
And that has the Bare Conductive team excited, saying such grassroots projects could give rise to more interactive materials, including billboards, postcards, walls and even fabrics.
The paint, however, isn't waterproof, though the team said users can paint over their circuits with a waterproof paint or varnish, depending on their needs.
According to CNN, the paint has a consistency of runny Marmite - a popular spread produced in the UK. The pen made waves at this year's Bay Area Makers Faire, an annual do-it-yourself hardware "hacking" expo in the San Francisco Bay area.
"Devices no longer have to look high tech to be high tech," Johnson said. "Our goal is to put interactivity onto objects you don't expect."
An electrically conductive pen isn't a new idea. Silver-based pens have been around for some time though their applications have typically been limited to circuit boards.
But Bare Conductive isn't done with liquid circuitry. The team is currently at work on a low-power body paint - which will allow circuits to be painted on the body - called Bare Skin.
The Bare Paint pen comes in black, costs just over $9.00 and is currently available worldwide.
