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 »
Sharks are so cool.
I loved this Science Live!
How fast can the flying robots go?
Cool robot!
Love the little robot it is so awesome.
The radio part was funny
I love watching science live.
Thank you for this lesson! I love science live and can’t wait for the next one.
i love science live
It’s crazy that the drones from MIT are that fast.
My favorite was the robots.
Sience live is so awesome
I didnt know robots could be that small!
It is amazing how a small change in the car’s production process can cause an increase in efficiency by over ten times.
I like tiny robots!
the radio show was so funny
MIT’s flying robot is so cool!
Just show that size is not everything
Watching the live a few days late. Hope everyone is safe from the winter storm.
Excellent video!!
I am so happy that a tiny robot can move that fast
Wow! Transistors are so cool to learn about!!!!
Acellus is awesome
It’s amazing how a small change in a cars production process can increase their efficiency by over 10 times.
robots are so cool!!!
Improving the equipment we use in search and rescue as well as adding a possible alternative to the pollinating that comes from bees would be a very worth while investment. Another great video!
I always enjoy learning something new every week on science live. I loved the part with the tiny robot it was really cool.
Love learning about transistors looking forward to the new year!
Amazing science live today.
Wow! Technology is getting so fast and small. Thanks.
Science live is fun
i love this
I like science but social studies is my favorite even though my most favorite of all is acellus.
ACELLUS ROCKS!!!!!!!
Thank you! I learned a lot about sharks and amplifiers.
so cool!!!
It’s really impressive what the MIT researchers were able to do with the robot. Thank you for the wonderful episode!
I like science live in action but I can see the greatest part about the science of the world
I love those cars!
The little robot is so cool! How did they come up with the design? Where did the idea come from?
I love Acellus!!!!!
Thank you for sharing the knowledge!
I watched with my brother Keaton. It would be cool if kids that can’t go to the event in May can send in a video of their science project/invention.
Great episode yet again!
this episode is great
I love science. (My favorite subject)
How are you r51🥸
I love these videos they are so interesting!!
“Save the kitty cats”
R51 is the best!
Acellus World is going to be so cool!!
best part of the week.
I love how you guys can teach us about many of things in science so thanks for that.
My favorite thing is when David and Caleb answer quetions and David blacks out because it’s funny
That would be cool to see the factory and how things are made.
this was really interesting and I also love the so much and the people
Science rocks!
my mind is blown the MIT bots are crazy
That’s cool that Henry Ford was mentored by Thomas Edison.
I love learning about robots
I like the flying Robot
Can’t wait to utilize this stuff in the real world
hello from South Carolina
thank you
So happy to be apart of this school.
How did they make the robot drone?
Great information!
I didn’t know a polar bear’s skin is black. That is cool. I love the new protégés. They explain things in a fun way that we can understand.
Missed the live video due to a winter storm messing stuff up out here but hello from Montana hope the weather’s better where y’all are!
The twin sister was funny.
We have been stuck inside due to icy weather.
I learned a lot by watching this!
Amazing video I learn so much about Henry Ford!
So cool how that M I T robot could fly that fast! If I had one i would probably try to design it and make it bigger so I could put stuff on top of it. Thank you Dr B I was so fascinated by this episode!
I found this interesting as I want to be an electrician
These lives are amazing!!
I have always been interested in learning about Henry Ford! I think its so amazing that he tried to make it affordable. He even went as far as moving the fuel tank to save money by not needing a fuel pump. It is amazing that they could build a car in those days in 12 hours!
What does transistors go to?
Electricity is amazing!
Does MIT’s robot have to be precoded to fly or does it adjust it’s tradjectory based on other inputs?
The robot is really cool!
Why are transistors so important in electronics?
great video. This was very interesting for me! I love these lives.
Science videos are so cool
Interesting episode
The MIT robot is incredible to watch! It is interesting how robots like this can assist in search and rescue.
It’s amazing how people come up with these ideas!
Robots are so cool
Amazing lesson.
I did not know these 3 were connected😱
It was so 😎🆒️😎
It is interasting and amazing that MIT’s robots are so small,❤️
Nice video Acellus!
I love science live from Acellus
Radio show was cool and funny.
acellus is so amazing!
glad to be back and watching such an amazing show!
I love Acellus.
loved this episode!
I like hearing about different things that students just like me have been able to develop or create.
this is so cool!
i learned so much from this episode
This is so neat!
this was so cool!!!!
Tiny robots like these make me wonder what else these can be used for
Happy new week!
Mit’s robot is my favourite thank you
I can’t find my shoes either. They were not in the washer. Ha ha
It is amazing how small robots can be!
I love robots!!!
Those robots are very cool. I want to build one some day
Interesting video as always
I wonder what Mr Ford would have done if he ran out of letters when he was making his cars?
ROBOTS ARE AMAZING!!!!
The little bug robot may mean interesting things for farming. As the bees die off, I wonder if these will be able to replace our pollinators.
I think we should all have a robot to help us at our house.
how quickly is robots getting better technology?
At least the kitty cats are safe.
Thank you
Cool, thanks Mr. Rogers
thank you really enjoyed!
I know Henry Ford he is the one who made the car ford.
These lives always give me something to think about.
I love the pocket radio.
I know about henry ford he is the one that made the car ford.
News channel vibes with r 51 so cool!
It was great to hear about Epaulette Sharks and how they preserve their energy. We have seen an Epaulette Shark before, as we live in Northern Australia!
how did she know all that about eye cancer?
I love the news channel vibe! It’s epic!
When is the science fair? *
I suffer from migraines. I can’t believe that a student from our school has gone on to do so much. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me.
amazing video I love it so much so insightful
That is really cool that Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were at a meeting together! I also can’t believe they were making cars in 90 minutes in that time because of using all those people in a line doing their own job to complete the car.
I think MIT’s robot will help solve many problems.
I liked this episode.
Hello from Texas ❄️
I love this live!!!
super cool
That radio segment awesome!
Acellus Live sessions are not only educational but also truly uplifting. Thank you for guiding students with such care and vision.
The cool thing for me is the little robot I am surprised that it can fly that fast for a robot it is so cool.
This week’s topic is very interesting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love the robot from MIT
I love Science Live! MIT’s flying robot is super cool and fantastic! And don’t even get me started on the radio show. It was the best! This livestream was really good!
This is great and very interesting to watch.
I always enjoy Dr. Tobias’ science breakthroughs because they are so enjoyable and interesting!
It is amazing that MIT’s robot is that small and capable of doing so much.
that is cool
It’s really cool learning the history of some of these inventions.
this science live is the best one yet i am watched!
I agree it is so cool on how much it can do
I love science so much it’s my favorite subject
I love the way they explain subjects in a manner easy enough to comprehend but advanced enough to still challenge you
I love acellus.
This was very interesting for me! I love these lives.
The radio show was so funny!
I really enjoyed this lesson
I learned a lot in this episode.
Science live is really amazing!
Hey,I love watching Acellus every week!!!
Henery Ford is accomplished a lot more than I thought he did prior to this video!
I love watching Science Lives each week.
What a great video as usual. Love watching these weekly videos to learn small things that add up over time.
I always enjoy learning how inventions come about.
The MIT flyng robot is amazing. It’ll be interesting to see how that technology ends up being used. Nature truly is a major source of inspiration for so many things.
R51 is really cool!!!
I liked when they talked about Henry Ford and how he was inspire to keep try to build the first motile T car. and it took him 20 tries.
I love r51
I love the part when you guys show us how things work and I love when you guys give us example to follow.
Sorry were late on watching video but we had a major snow storm
I watched it late this week as well, because we had a major snowstorm where we live too. Where do you live?
I had no idea robots could be that small!!
Love this video
i just love this!!
I learned a lot in this episode and I really enjoyed it!
I love science live! Its so interesting!
I love the tiny robot that MIT is working on. I didn’t know you could make a robot that small.
Epaulette sharks sound very interesting!
Excited for this episode
It is so awesome
I am so fascinated about robots. It seems like something that is actually doable now that I understand it better.
The tiny robot and the history of transistors were my favorite part of today’s Science Live.
I learned so much about Henry Ford during this live. Very cool!
I love science live!
The robot is my favorite.
I love learning new things each week.
Happy to be here
I love this program
How did they make the robot drone?
I enjoy robots.I have about 3 robots on my desk,but I learned a lot watching this.
How long did it take them to make a pocket radio?