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Not all logic needs silicon; sometimes all you need is flexible silicone and a flow of air
60% confidenceFluidic circuits operate on pressure difference between atmospheric pressure (logical 0) and near-vacuum at around -60 kilopascals relative pressure (logical 1)
60% confidenceA four-digit, seven-segment display with two separator dots would require 29 solenoid valves to control directly; millifluidic logic reduces this to just 11 valves
60% confidenceFluidic diodes connect the digit enable lines to separator dot cavities, causing dots to pulse automatically as each digit is addressed
60% confidenceAirtight 3D prints can be achieved by printing at elevated temperatures, slow speeds, and slight overextrusion to fill microscopic gaps; transparent filament's transparency serves as a visual porosity indicator
60% confidenceEach segment of the soft clock acts like a capacitor: evacuating its cavity charges it (logic 1), restoring atmospheric pressure discharges it (logic 0); each digit acts as an independent 7-bit memory
60% confidenceIf the system is sufficiently airtight, segments maintain their state for several seconds, enabling memory-based addressing instead of high-speed strobing
60% confidenceThe millifluidic soft clock approaches a new class of machines that are simpler, lighter, and more integrated by offloading computation to the same air that powers movement
60% confidenceBy building systems that think with the same air that powers them, the need for bulky electronic-to-pneumatic interfaces can be drastically reduced
60% confidence