German semiconductor maker Infineon Technologies announced it’s making printed circuit boards (PCBs) that dissolve in water. Sourced from UK startup Jiva Materials, the plant-based Soluboard could provide a new way for the tech industry to reduce electronic waste.
Jiva’s biodegradable PCB is made of natural fibers and a halogen-free polymer with a much lower carbon footprint. A team at the University of Washington College of Engineering and Microsoft Research created a mouse using a Soluboard PCB as its core. The researchers found the Soluboard dissolved in hot water in under six minutes. The process also makes retrieving the valuable metals attached to it easier. “After [it dissolves], we’re left with the chips and circuit traces, which we can filter out,” said UW assistant professor Vikram Iyer, who worked on the mouse project.
It’s early days for the technology. And maybe I’m a Debby-downer (and clumsy), but it could increase the drama of me spilling coffee on my laptop.
– Mat Smith
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Over a year since launching invite-only, it goes mainstream.
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8BitDo launches a Nintendo-inspired mechanical keyboard
The $100 device offers customizable switches and layouts.
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Elon Musk’s X Corp sues anti-hate group over its research
It accused the Center for Countering Digital Hate of a ‘scare campaign.’
X Corp (aka Twitter) has filed a lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). It claimed the anti-hate group is illegally “scraping” its servers and cherry-picking hateful posts as part of “a scare campaign to drive away advertisers,” according to documents filed in San Francisco federal court. The Center published a research article in June asserting X allowed explicitly racist and homophobic posts despite policies to the contrary, even after they’d been reported. However, X responded that the CCDH used poor methodology and failed to study all 500 million posts on the service each day.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-water-soluble-circuit-boards-could-have-a-huge-impact-on-e-waste-111536730.html?src=rss