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Nano World: Generators Powered By Vibes
The Post Chronicle ^
| Apr 14, 2006
| Charles Q. Choi
Posted on 04/15/2006 3:20:18 PM PDT by PeaceBeWithYou
click here to read article
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Facinating. Seems like it's always 5 or more years off.
Enjoy.
To: AntiGuv; neverdem
2
posted on
04/15/2006 3:23:17 PM PDT
by
King Prout
(The UN 1967 Outer Space Treaty is bad for America and bad for humanity - DUMP IT.)
To: PeaceBeWithYou
Wow! That sounds similar to piezoelectric devices, which convert mechanical stress to electricity and have been around for years. What a scoop!
3
posted on
04/15/2006 3:28:36 PM PDT
by
KarinG1
(Some of us are trying to engage in philosophical discourse. Please don't allow us to interrupt you.)
To: PeaceBeWithYou
UC Berkley has developed a penny sized wankel engine which is connected to a 1 watt motor generator. It runs on butane. One thousand of these engines would fit in the proverbial bread box but would deliver 1kw of power. Can you say Electric Car?
Check it Out
To: PeaceBeWithYou
Wait a minute. How often would I have to get up and move around?
To: PeaceBeWithYou; b4its2late; Bitwhacker; Dog
The generators could, for instance, harvest energy from [...] acoustic waves Wow! When spouseperson is in PMS Nag mode, it could absorb the sound coming through the walls, and power both the airconditioner and ESPN!
I'll let you guys invite the ladies to exact their vengeance. :)
6
posted on
04/15/2006 4:03:37 PM PDT
by
lepton
("It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into"--Jonathan Swift)
To: Graymatter
So the guy at my office who bounces his leg all the time when he sits can finally do something productive? Hey that's a pun - get it?
7
posted on
04/15/2006 4:04:58 PM PDT
by
corkoman
To: PeaceBeWithYou; aculeus; Senator Bedfellow
8
posted on
04/15/2006 4:09:13 PM PDT
by
dighton
To: Young Werther
UC Berkley has developed a penny sized wankel engine which is connected to a 1 watt motor generator. It runs on butane. Cool, and others are developing other designs. In context of the posted article, the interesting one of these designs would be the free-piston design, which could produce mainly vibration as its output. This article discusses a micro generator which wants vibration as its input, so . . .
9
posted on
04/15/2006 4:15:53 PM PDT
by
conservatism_IS_compassion
(The idea around which liberalism coheres is that NOTHING actually matters but PR.)
To: PeaceBeWithYou
It's always 5 or more years away in order to keep the grant money in the pipeline. Dangle the carrot in front of the donkey and he will follow it forever, or until he falls over from exhaustion. In that case you will need a new carrot and a new donkey. Finding a new carrot is no problemo in the scientific community.
10
posted on
04/15/2006 4:33:52 PM PDT
by
joem15
(If less is more, then what is plenty?)
To: corkoman
...get it?'deed I do! And if these nano-generators are powered by us, will they need surge protectors for...well, like for, um, sneezes?
To: conservatism_IS_compassion
This wankel engine was the outgrowth of the DARPA MEMs, (micro electric machines) program. The army wanted a power source that would be more efficient for the Army. When you look at the foot soldiers gear, night vision goggles, laser gun sight, GPS receivers, (no more maps and compasses), lap top computers and satellite links the demand for batteries was unbelievable. When they speced these new power sources and industry responded with butane powered mini machines the Army was estactic. The logistics of shipping butane was less onerous than maintaining tons of mutlifuncitional batteries.
A jet turbine engine the diameter of a human hair was developed with the idea that they could be manufactured using the same chip manufacturing techniques used to make computer chips. It works and some of these devices are already being field tested at the Marine test field at Quantico!!
To: PeaceBeWithYou
The nanogenerators Wang and graduate student Jinhui Song created rely on the infinitesimal electrical discharges released when zinc oxide wires 20 to 40 nanometers wide and 200 to 500 nanometers long are bent and then released. Soon to be known as the "Wang/Song Twang" effect.
13
posted on
04/15/2006 5:13:10 PM PDT
by
manwiththehands
("'Rule of law'? We don't need no stinkin' rule of law! We want amnesty, muchacho!")
To: Young Werther
Thanx, I'll check it out. But considering that even a wimpy car needs 60KW to 100kW, that's an awful lot of bread boxes holding an awful lot of heat in an awfully small volume. Well, at least we'll get plenty of toast out of it.
14
posted on
04/15/2006 5:31:58 PM PDT
by
nevergiveup
(Locals say "puh-TUCK-it")
To: PeaceBeWithYou
Except of course for the specific technology, there is nothing new here. It is called "power scavaging". At first blush it seems to have zillions of uses, but it actually has very limited uses. Namely, it may be good for performing internal tasks within low power devices, but transmitting any information or activating an actuator will require more power than can be scavaged.
If you want a lot more power from body motion, just add a crank, generator and a super-cap/rechargable battery. I just board a nifty LED flashlight that works great after only a couple of turns of the handle.
15
posted on
04/15/2006 5:39:00 PM PDT
by
nevergiveup
(Locals say "puh-TUCK-it")
To: nevergiveup
16
posted on
04/15/2006 5:41:44 PM PDT
by
nevergiveup
(Locals say "puh-TUCK-it")
To: PeaceBeWithYou
Bump for future Reference
17
posted on
04/15/2006 6:30:56 PM PDT
by
America's Resolve
(Illegal Amnesty in 86 and 06, so expect more in 2026, 2046, 2066 and 2086. Doom for America!)
To: PeaceBeWithYou
Thankyou for this article. This was something I was looking for.
18
posted on
04/15/2006 7:06:49 PM PDT
by
Wiz
To: PatrickHenry; b_sharp; neutrality; anguish; SeaLion; Fractal Trader; grjr21; bitt; KevinDavis; ...
Seems like it's always 5 or more years off.Cloning was 30 to 50 years off when Dolly came along.. ;^)
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19
posted on
04/15/2006 10:12:33 PM PDT
by
AntiGuv
(The 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty is bad for America and bad for humanity - DUMP IT!)
To: AntiGuv
i think 5 years is for share holders
you just wait boy we will make something amazing soon
and can we get more financing please
20
posted on
04/15/2006 10:15:30 PM PDT
by
Flavius
(Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum)
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