The technology uses a specially developed ‘solar ink’ that can be printed onto plastic film using existing printers in a similar way to printing plastic bank notes.

That ink is then printed onto the plastic where it evaporates, leaving a crystalline semiconducting material in a specific pattern and voila, a printed computer chip.

No longer must your 3D-printed objects be bald. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University figure out how to 3D-print troll hair, brush bristles and horse tails.

The L1800 printer itself can print onto 13in (33cm) rolls of plastic film which are then sliced to the appropriate length (up to one meter) with the included guillotine attachment.

The breakthrough could open the door to solar cells that can be printed onto plastic instead of glass, and then bent and shaped to fit anywhere. Continue reading below Our Featured Videos ...

In contrast, perovskite solar cells depend on a layer of tiny crystals — each about 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair — made of low-cost, light-sensitive materials. Because the ...