Ever wanted to mess around with electronics and create fully functioning circuits, yet the task of printing them or using a circuit board left you feeling a bit annoyed? It isn't exactly easy-as-pie, considering the components involved are rather bulky and add a level of abstraction. Well, you can do away with your breadboards and soldering. Circuit Scribe is a rollerball pen that uses actual conductive silver ink to form circuits by just drawing. Easily part of the maker market, but also for individuals of all ages and skill.

“Circuit Scribe is for Makers, STEM Educators, Artists, Kids, & Life Hackers. We wanted to make it easier for Makers to Make. No shaking, no squeezing, no goop, no smell, no waiting for ink to dry. Circuit Scribe draws smooth lines with conductive silver ink and allows you to create functioning circuits instantly. “

Developed by Electroninks Incorporated, a company from the University of Illinois research lab, the project launched on Kickstarter this month to promote project-based learning, making it unbelievably easy to prototype electronics. Plus, everything involved is mess-free, low-budget and non-toxic. Building a circuit is literally as easy as one, two, three. All you need is a piece of paper, a coin battery and an LED. This pen is deliberately made low-tech so that anyone could pick it up, draw, connect the points and see an LED flash (see video). The pen itself is filled with water-based, conductive ink (free of toxins) that the Circuit Scribe team perfected. There is no shaking or squeezing of the pen involved. In fact, as demonstrated in the video, the pen doesn't appear to smudge at all. Some competitor pens have been invented, but with an ink drying waiting time of nearly 24 hours.

The company has also developed a variety of magnet components for circuit building, which snap directly onto the circuit drawing you create. It is directed as a “just plug and play” project. Not only is the easy for makers out there, but is intended to revolutionize the way circuits are taught in schools because: “It takes circuits out of the text books and into the imagination”. The entire point is to learn and create, all from a few easy steps. Then all of a sudden, you have accomplished something from a simple project to something rather dynamic and inventive. Instant working prototypes, robotics and endless possibilities are within a ballpoint pen! Even better, Circuit Scribe is open-source hardware matched with Arduino, Makey Makey and other electronic platforms. The prototype is complete and the company wants to get Circuit Scribe out to consumers with a pledge goal of $85 thousand. You can officially say they are on their way, even surpassing their stretch goal with $350 thousand dollars backed towards their project. With the basic kit (containing the pen and basic components) priced at only $30 bucks, you can bet these will be in schools and homes in no time.