Pencil-E:
Creating Functional Electronics with Pencils and Paper

1· The Beginning

This project started with a very simple initiative, a situation that constantly happens when designing interactive hardwares.

Whenever we are lacking a component during a project, we need to order it online, wait for several days, and finally be able to process our work. Even when we are lucky enough to be in a place with well-establish logistics system, and in a school with adequate funding, the obstacle of attaining certain components still let some good ideas fade away. Let alone the challenges faced by those lacking such support and strive to create remarkable designs.

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Good creation need good tools.‍

Tools provide us with the ability to establish an instant connection with our creation. But, what define good tools? It could be a collection of specialized tools tailored to solve specific problems within a particular domain. Alternatively, it could be flexible, versatile tools that able to face a variety of needs. The former one help you form a business, a mass production of specialized electronics. However, the later one will lead us to the democracy in creativity.

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So...

‍How might we design a simple method, that enables people to build functional circuits with the most accessible and ubiquitous materials?

2· Break Down the Black-Box of Electronics

After taking a deeper look into the industrialize electronic components, I realize most of them are based on several very simple mechanics: Sensing the resistance change or sensing the capacitive change.

The human action will cause the deformation of the structure, influencing the basic factor like thickness, length or size of the contacting area, leading to a change in overall resistance or capacitance of the component.

The mostly used electronics are made by the combination of resistive sensors or capactitive sensors.

3· Explore the Best Material

After understanding the basic mechanic of the components. I conduct a research to find the suitable material. The material need to be cheap, accessible for most people, with flexibility to generate complex interactive patterns.

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Through testing, we defined pencil & paper as the best material for creating personal electronics. The success of pencil paper combination are as follows:

The conductivity of [ pencil ]
Pencil traces are conductive with graphite chunks inside. By applying different grade of pencils for different times, we can get a conductive trace of different conductivity. The pencil traces can perform deformation in both micro-structural level and macro-structural, influencing the electrical properties.

The flexibility of [ pencil ]
Pencil can afford creative drawing on different kinds of surface.

The flexibility of [ paper ]
Paper as the substrate of pencil traces.
Paper can be fold, cut, construct into multi-dimensional structure. Paper with special features can be translucent or be able to adhere to a surface, provide abundant possibilities.

4· Abstract, then Extend

The sensing mechanics of pencil-paper can be distilled further. We refined them into five patterns to elaborate on. In this basic mechanics, user interaction can cause the deformation in different levels of the pencil-paper structure which leads to a change in resistance or capacitance.

The five basic sensing model of pencil-paper module.

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Base on the basic sensing models, we explore the possible meta-components with different structure type, diverse interactive mode by trying multiple origami, kirigami and drawing methods.

The primary structures designed base on the basic sensing model, considering both functionality and creativity when designed.

5· Solution & Application

Through the application design, we hope to fully exhibit the flexibility of the method of generating interactive surface on different medium. We also hope to break the barrier of "hard-core" tech by presenting things that are aesthetic and functional using the most ubiquitous material in a creative and gentle manner.