Those of you unenthusiastic about 3D printing might have had the
same thought as Dr. Simon Leigh: "It's always great seeing the
complex and intricate models of devices such as mobile phones or
television remote controls that can be produced with 3D
printing," he said, "but that's it, they are invariably models
that don't really function." With that in mind Dr. Leigh, a
researcher at the University of Warwick's School of Engineering,
decided to do something about it. He and his research team
developed a material called carbomorph, which is basically an
inexpensive, printable plastic. It can be loaded into any of the
rash of low-cost 3D printers we see hitting the market. But
here's the thing: it's conductive. What this means is that
owners of 3D printers can spec electronic tracks, sensors, and
touch-sensitive areas into their designs, and print out things
like functioning game controllers or sensor-embedded objects.
(To prove the latter, the research team printed a mug that could
detect how much liquid it was