Could blood be used to power batteries?

How about, instead of your standard AA, we used flexible, incredibly thin batteries that could be powered by blood or sweat? Seems like an improvement, right?

How Batteries Work

Batteries power all sorts of things -- they're in our cars, our PCs, our cameras, our cell phones. How do these tiny cans of chemicals provide power for so many of our daily conveniences?

How Capacitors Work

The capacitor plays a crucial role in electronics -- it stores electrons for when they're needed most, dumping a huge charge instead of a steady flow.How does it do it?

How Circuit Breakers Work

The circuit breaker is one of the most important safety mechanisms in your home. Without it, the risk of fire would skyrocket. Learn how a circuit breaker keeps your home's electricity in check.

How do the battery testers on battery packages work?

The little disposable battery testers you see on batteries or battery packages are a great example of combined technologies -- several existing technologies have been combined in a completely new way!

How does a brushless electric motor work?

Controlled by a computer and free of electrical noise, the brushless motor is more precise than a regular electric motor and it’s also a great deal more efficient. Learn all about brushless motors and how the invention of transistors led to their development.

How Electric Motors Work

You might be surprised to find out just how much work is done by electric motors. They're everywhere! You'll find them in your car, your kitchen, bathroom, office... Find out how electric motors get stuff moving.

How Electronic Gates Work

Would you like to be able to build your own digital devices? Logic gates are the basis of digital electronics. Find out what these gates do and how you can use them to start building your own devices.

How Flash Memory Works

Flash memory is the essential component in solid-state hard disks and digital cameras. It retains data even when the power source is disconnected. Without it, you’d have to reload your data each time you shut down. Learn all about the memory that never forgets.

How Inductors Work

An inductor is little more than a coil of wire. Sound simple? Well, it is -- but that coil of wire can do some pretty cool things. Learn all about inductors and what they're used for in our article.

How LCDs Work

Liquid crystal displays are found in everything from digital watches to laptop computers. In a relatively short period of time, they've crept from a fascinating novelty item to a technology standard. Learn about the science (a liquid crystal?) and technology behind LCDs.

How Light Emitting Diodes Work

Light emitting diodes form the numbers on digital clocks, send data from remote controls, light up traffic signals, illuminate watches -- the simple genius of the design makes it infinitely applicable. Find out how this thing called a "diode" produces light.

How Lithium-ion Batteries Work

Lithium-ion batteries are incredibly popular these days. You can find them in laptops, PDAs, cell phones and iPods. Find out why.

How Microcontrollers Work

Most modern electronic devices (TVs, appliances, power tools) contain an embedded microcontroller. It's basically a dedicated computer. Find out how these devices work and experiment with one on your own.

How Oscillators Work

Oscillators show up in lots of electronic equipment. In fact, you might be surprised to know that computers, radios, metal detectors and stun guns all use oscillators. Learn all about electronic oscillators.