It looks like each of those little bead thingies is a transistor; each has three wires leasing up to it with a little loop at the end. Presumably, a charge fro

It looks like each of those little bead thingies is a transistor; each has three wires leasing up to it with a little loop at the end. Presumably, a charge from the loop to the side can flip the bead, and this makes it conduct. It’s surprising that that works, to say the least. :)