[Terry_Roll]

I would imagine for the low temperature environment of space and satellites, but it might also improve the lifetime of circuit boards during powerup cycles. Its reported that power cycling stresses the circuit boards more than just leaving them switched on, so I wouldnt be surprised to see some changes made in everyday electronic devices. With that in mind, will we see less 90 degree turns on circuit boards in order to ensure the smooth flow of electrons, even though we cant yet detect any Oxbow (Resacas) "lakes" in circuit boards due to the rather rigid nature of circuit board design & materials.

I would also imagine this "electron fluid" only applies to DC circuit applications, because AC electrons are perhaps best represented by every discerning business executive's desktop toy known as Newtons Cradle.

[adhesive_wombat]

90 degree turns don't "wear out" as such, it's usually more that they (might) produce a reflection in a high-speed line. This is why high-speed traces are often curved. Also 90-degree corners can concentrate mechanical stress and act as acid traps which affect manufacturability. They're also ugly (and I'm only half joking).

Power-up failure of a PCB is far more likely to be due to inrush current burning something out or thermal cycling leading to a broken connection than a viscous-current effect.

Also, space-based devices aren't always cold: it actually takes a lot of engineering to keep them from overheating unless they're in perpetual shade, and even then you need to do more work to get to a superconductive regime.