Mobile phones powered by WIND TURBINES: 'Micro-windmills' could be fitted to our phones

Daily Mail UK ^ | 1-14-14 | Victoria Woollaston

[smokingfrog]

Forget hand-cranked chargers and solar-powered cases, the latest way to solve the ever-present problem of a dying phone battery is by using thin air.

Researchers from Texas have developed a miniscule ‘micro-windmill’ that is just 1.8mm wide and can transform wind energy into electricity.

The team behind the design claim hundreds of the nickel devices could be fitted to a phone case, for example, and users could charge their phone simply by waving it in the air.

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The technology was built by micro-engineering experts at the University of Texas Arlington (UTA).

Each windmill is made of flexible nickel alloy components capable of taking strong winds without breaking.

They are so small that ten of them can fit onto a single grain of rice.

Professor J.C. Chiao from the university said: ‘The micro-windmills work well because the metal alloy is flexible and the design follows minimalism for functionality.

‘Imagine that they can be cheaply made on the surfaces of portable electronics, so you can place them on a sleeve for your smartphone.

[Pearls Before Swine]

Power the micro-windmill from the speaker’s voice!

[Alex Murphy]

Researchers from Texas have developed a miniscule ‘micro-windmill’ that is just 1.8mm wide and can transform wind energy into electricity. The team behind the design claim hundreds of the nickel devices could be fitted to a phone case, for example, and users could charge their phone simply by waving it in the air.

[SoothingDave]

Yep. Finally a way to capture salesmen’s hot air!

[GeronL]

“Pardon me, young man, but can you blow my phone?”

[smokingfrog]

http://www.uta.edu/news/releases/2014/01/microwindmill-rao-chiao.php

[Safetgiver]

And my girl friend said I am full of bullshit.

[Doogle]

"...a six pack and a dozen hard boiled eggs, you could mount a mini fan to my butt and I could power dragster"

[smokingfrog]

To: Pocket Lint:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jJI_dwzvztQ

[NRA1995]

[LeoWindhorse]

someone should develop a little windwill charger that fits on the outside of a vehicle and spins , delivering charge , whenever the vehicle is being driven , recharging whatever is connected to it , within the vehicle

[Farmer Dean]

Maybe the beanie with propeller on top will come back into fashion?Would look real good on the pajama-boy types.

[Safetgiver]

I love that commercial !! It is SOOOO annoying! When I go to the Gun Club and hear Union guys talking about Unions saving the world I scream “WHEE, WHEE, WHEE.” I sometimes get beat up, but who cares?

[Red Badger]

As opposed to the cigarette lighter chargers that run off the vehicles’ electrical system?.................

[G Larry]

Hood ornament?

[nascarnation]

LOL you can’t call it that now.
It’s a “power port”

[Safetgiver]

The wheels of a car are a generator (the static electricity can blow up a gas station.) Why hasn’t any geek harnessed that energy?

[Hoodat]

Why not two tin cans and some string?

[Paladin2]

So now one can turn on one’s phone by blowing it?

[smokingfrog]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkcn8ZkvKKc&feature=player_detailpage