Toward more flexible and rapid prototyping of electronic devices

FlexBoard is a flexible breadboard that enables rapid prototyping of objects with interactive sensors, actuators, and displays on curved and deformable surfaces. Whether you are a new employee, a gymnast, or a bendy straw manufacturer, one trait is ideal across the board: flexibility. The same can now be said about prototyping electronic devices. While designers typically test out their designs on "breadboards," or thin plastic boards that can hold together electronic components, they are often stiff and slow. With the rigidity of these electronic backbones in mind, MIT researchers developed " FlexBoard ," a flexible breadboard that enables rapid prototyping of objects with interactive sensors, actuators, and displays on curved and deformable surfaces, such as a ball or clothes. To illustrate the platform's versatility on different items, researchers tested it out on kettlebells, video game controllers, and gloves, finding that sensors and displays can attach to the electronic components within each of its hinges. The team added sensors and LEDs to the kettlebells, which successfully detected whether users were applying the correct form to their swing workouts.