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Redo Electronics: Designing Reusable, Reconfigurable, and Dissolvable Circuits
Huaishu Peng
IRB 4105 or https://umd.zoom.us/j/93754397716?pwd=GuzthRJybpRS8HOidKRoXWcFV7sC4c.1
Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 10:30-11:30 am
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Abstract

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are the hidden foundation of every modern device, yet their rigid, single-use design creates a global e-waste crisis. This talk explores how reimagining PCBs for circularity by making them reusable, reconfigurable, and dissolvable reshapes not just hardware but also human–computer interaction. I will present three systems: SolderlessPCB, which eliminates solder so chips can be removed and reused multiple times; PCBRenewal, which allows a single board to be reconfigured across applications, from a radio to a Game Boy; and DissolvPCB, the first fully dissolvable, 3D-printed PCB that recovers up to 98% of materials after use. Beyond their technical contributions, these systems demonstrate how sustainability is also an HCI challenge, enabling designers, educators, and everyday makers to assemble, repair, and repurpose electronics in new ways. By reframing circularity as an interactive design principle, this work shows how computing can align with human values of repair, adaptability, and sustainability.

Bio
Huaishu Peng is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Maryland and director of the Small Artifacts Lab (SMART Lab). He explores tangible computing through an interdisciplinary research agenda that makes electronics more repairable, interfaces more accessible, and technology a medium for cultural expression. His work has appeared at CHI, UIST, and SIGGRAPH, earning multiple Best Paper and Honorable Mention awards, and has been featured widely in the media, including Wired, MIT Technology Review, TechCrunch, and Gizmodo.
 
This talk is organized by Samuel Malede Zewdu