Transistors
January 21, 2026 • EPISODE 294
What is a transistor and why is it important? In this episode of Science LIVE, Dr. Roger Billings explores how transistors control electric current, replaced bulky vacuum tubes, and made modern electronics possible—from radios to computers and smartphones. The episode also features a tiny bug-like robot developed by MIT and the fascinating story of Henry Ford and how Thomas Edison influenced the development of the automobile.
About DrB
Dr. Roger Billings is a visionary innovator whose work has touched the lives of millions of students and transformed the landscape of education. Widely known as “DrB” to the countless kids who benefit from his groundbreaking Acellus learning system, Dr. Billings has dedicated his life to advancing education through technology.
As part of DrB’s lifelong commitment to supporting education, Science LIVE was launched as a way to “give back” by mentoring students in conjunction with the Roger Billings Scholarship Program.
Read more about DrB »
About the Roger Billings Scholarship Program »
Happy Thursday!
Thank you for another awesome science live!!!
I love that Henry Ford quote! Great video as always
I didn’t know that Henry Ford worked for Thomas Edison before he started his own company.
I enjoyed learning about transistors today.
The tiny flying robots are super interesting to learn about!
science is cool
R.51 is hilarious
Really enjoyed this science live!!
i love science live
Wow loved this science live really interesting!
i love learning new things through science live
That robot fly is awesome, I need that in my house.
Very interesting, both the tiny drones that function like insects, and I never realized the Model-T was called that because of the past iterations!
R51 made every street, highway 35 lol
I can’t wait for Todd Edmond’s new course to come out, I really want to take it!
The transistor radio sounds really interesting.
Science live teaches me so much!
Thanks for this awesome live!!!
how those cars are made is pretty cool
I liked learning about cars.
science live is amazing
i love science live
This robot fly seems really cool and I hope it gets upgraded to look really close to a fly.
I look forward to each week to see what the video will be talking about
dogs are the best
We have seen those sharks on Discovery channel before and it is really interesting!
I love science!
Is the little robots going to get smaller?
nice video i loved it thanks
Wow! Another great episode and once again, I learned so much! And I loved the talk about cats! Thank you Acellus team! Also stay safe from the snow!
I think I’ve seen these types of robots before! They were mimicking a cockroach
I think that Todd Edmond’s Historical Conspiricy Course will be extremely interesting and I can’t wait unill its debut. Thank you for this weeks information and I find your lectures highly interesting.
Happy Thursday! Love science video day!
In technology it was super interesting to observe the model of the tiny robot, how it had super small wings, it’s cool to see what it’s like.
Thanks for the video!
Yep happy Thursday
My family watches the videos with me
ME TOO I LIKE SCIENCE VIDEO DAYS ALOT IT WAS VERY FUN TODAY
I loved todays episode!!
My grandpa always talked about his transistor radio
I think finding ways to preserve sharks is a wonderful thing and that was pretty neat to learn. I found the information about migraines interesting my mom always has them so I would love to share what I learned. Her science project was really cool how awesome would that be to detect eye cancer. Flying can be very annoying it’s like they know your going to swat them!
This was a good live
I really enjoy watching these lives.
right back at ya
Thank you
You love cats too!!!!!
Me to
I NEED KITTY CATS 🐱 !!!!!
Yesssss
i love these lives!!!
David and Caleb are so funny! And I learn so much from them. I also loved the little flying robots. I love drones, so I think this new technology is amazing!
same, its awesome.
I Love learning about old radios
Radios are so cool!
I think so too, and so is r51 hahaha
I find the videos entertaining
I enjoyed the video and look forward to the science fair
How the stables have turned 😂I love the small jokes!! Can’t wait for next week’s live 😊!
me too!
R51 with the twin sisters is so funny.😂
ME TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!😀🤣🤣😀
super cool episode cant wait for next week
This episode made me laugh so hard! I loved the tiny flying robot.
tuning in from new jersey, this science live was awesome keep it up
These lives are always the best!
I learn something new every time so its very fun.
Twins sister! that is crazy
I like the social Emotional Learning course!
I can’t wait to watch acellus world live again on tv! Love watching David and Caleb they are pretty funny too .
Twin sisters! That is funny
How long does it take to make a satellite and put it in to space?
-Makhaela G
Hello from Virginia! It was really interesting to learn about how those particular radios were made! Amazing live stream, hope everybody on the east coast and everywhere else is staying safe with the snow storms coming in this weekend! Have a nice night!! 🙂
Aww thank you! You too!
I learned something new!!!
Learning about transistors helped me understand something new.
R51 is so funny 😂
The stables have turned
I can’t wait for Acellus World!
I loved the part on Henry ford!
This was entertaining to watch, thank you!
If I saw “Twin Sisters” all over the road, I wouldn’t leave the house ever again. (T-T)
Love MlT
Is everyone ready for the winter storm? I hope it snows!
SAME i want to make snow angels
Acellus!!!
Comment
I like the little insect like flying robot. Can be used as a polenator or for search and rescue. I like to think of other possible uses.
Transistors using solid state resistors are a great improvement over the vacum tubes. They are able to be smaller and portable.
I’m so excited for neck weeks science live!
Hello from Illinois
I love to learn about transistors. It was so interesting to learn about
Tiny little insect drones – wow, so many possibilities. The first thought I had was how they could be used for spying. My dad said it makes it possible to actually be the fly one the wall.
Science Live is the best! Stay safe in the snow storms this weekend.
Hi, from Arkansas
Excited to learn today!
That is a lot of cars that they made!
This science live was amazing!
Nothing like a Ford
Wow that drone that they made is amazing!!!
Transistors are so cool
Those small flying robots from MIT were awesome.
Hello from Pennsylvania!
Another great video as always! The twin sister transistor was my favorite part.
Hope everyone stays safe during the winter storm
Science live is the best
That would be awesome to get the naval science award! I just wouldn’t know where to start!
it was cool, stay inside for the snowstorms yall
I learned that transistors act like tiny switches that control the flow of electricity in things we use every day.
Loved how they made those cars.
Me too.
– Definetly have something in common with Henry Form! I love inventing for future generations!
– Yes Pajet create another course!!!
I think Pajet is so cool. She is so calm.
Great live! Harsh weather this week stay safe!
Everyone please study hard, and stay safe if the weather does get bad for you
I really like learning about the old electronics like the huge radios.
Learning about those cars was a awesome experience
My brother and I like watching David and Caleb.
Hi from Texas!
r 51 was a good invention
This live was so cool, fun, and defiantly hillarious ! ^^ It was so intresting when you guys made the cars>
Watching video preparing for the winter storm!
I LOVE R51! He’s so hilarious.
The insect robot is so cool!
I enjoy the segment with David and Caleb.
hi this is laila from Ny and this live was super fun and definitely hillarious ! It was so cool making cars.
Wow!!! it was so interestig learn about transistors. Thanks for all the information.
Hope everyone is having a good week!
Loved the mini robot that flies!
In “breakthrough moments in science” I enjoyed learning about Henry Ford and how the car was created.
I am so happy that I can have the opportunity be apart of acellus and get a good homeschool program
i think it’s interesting how the model 7 got its name and then the model a. I love cars and trucks! The transistor radio sounds neat!
I like how those little robot bugs will help with search and rescue. Really cool!
Hello from Colorado! Stay safe in the weather this weekend!
Can’t wait for the next Science Live!
Very cool live, thank you!
Love from Maryland!
The model T cars were really awesome!
Area 51 is so funny.
Fun live! Thank you!
I did not know Cadillac was ever part of Ford, I assumed it was standalone until GM acquired it. And I always think learning about the old ford stuff is cool. Thank y’all for another wonderful episode and I am quite enjoying the new addition of the protégés.
I LOVE SIENCE L!VE!!!!!!!!!
Social emotional class is amazing! Would love another one!
I would love to have another social intelligence course. Very interesting!
That is so awesome!!!!!!!!!!
I enjoyed watching this episode .I found it very interesting ,I learned something new about Henry Ford and I had to do a oral about him last year.
Watching from Georgia.
My grandpa has a transistor radio from a long time ago! Transistors are cool!
I really hope I can go to Acellus world this year
Hello from Bama!
Thanks for another amazing live again, keep it up guys!
This video was interesting. I particularly like the robotic bugs and use for pollination. Also the information about Ford was interesting as well. Thank you!
Social emotional class is amazing! Would love another one!
Is it possible to have the MIT robot bugs be programed to work in groups like how ants or bees would, senve they can now fly in a similar way to the bees?
I never knew that about polar bears.
I wonder what the next great invention will be? Since so many inventions already exist, a new world-changing invention would be very impressive.
Great video, you guys do such good jobs of making science live!
Hello Science Live! Stay warm it’s gonna get COLD
Thank you for today’s live! My family and I love watching them together.
As always, amazing science live! Big thanks to Acellus for helping all these young minds reach their dreams. See you next week!
Never knew that is the process of making a radio. Very cool!
Today I have learned that back in the 1940s amplification was done using vacuum tubes and that a polar bears skin is black and its fur is white
I did not know polar bears have black skin and white fur.
The robot bees to pollinate looks cool.
I would like another course by Ms PJ.
using coding to create a cancer screening program and being an acellus student is so motivational! i wish to be like her and be able to help people with the education i got from acellus too.
Thank you for another amazing Science Live.
Loved this weeks video, thank you!
I think that is cool how they made such a small robot that can fly so fast and for so long.
So this shark walks on land and can stay on land for minutes. How though??
Such an interesting episode of Science Live!
Who controls the insect robot? Who designed it to look like a bumble bee? What do they use the robot for?
Is it ok if we that are in Namibia also make inventions and send pictures?
Learning about how Henry Ford made cars was so cool. Learning about how radios work was also cool.
10/10 live as always
People don’t realize how long it took to invent and manufacture things like cars and computers.
I love r51 time
David and Caleb are master teachers and entertainers. They never fail to make me laugh, and they’re excellent at making otherwise convoluted concepts easy for me to understand. Amazing episode; interesting and entertaining as always. Stay safe in the upcoming winter storms, everyone.
I love this science live today it was cool to learn the first cheap car for everyone!
I love r51
Thank you for doing these every week!
Fun with the protégés
This was really interesting!
Technology has come such a long way.
I agree that she should do more courses
Transistors are very cool!
I enjoyed learning about how the factory process was made and how it was first made to more efficiently create cars
The Twin sisters Transistor was cool, great science live!
Hello Acellus family 🙂 I am watching from Italy it was really fun learning about Transistors today thank you 🙂
Those sharks sound really cool.
This sounds like it can save peoples lives! Tiny search and rescue robots cooooooool!!!!!I want to be a firefighter!
Hi Acellus family i’m watching from Italy! Is R51 going t be there at the Acellus world? 🙂
Thank you
snowing this weekend!
How long can the sharks stay out of water?
I love learning about how radios are made.
Can’t wait for next week!
I liked R51 today
a social emotional learning course would be awsome!
Great video!
thank you for today’s lesson and thank you for the slap on the table!
Very cool how Thomas Edison inspired Henry Ford to keep going.
The radio part was cool. He made such a significant discovery.
Hello from Texas! I love Science Live!,
Loved the radio talk show! Those two are hilarious.