Micro-windmills to power your cell phone
- 10 years ago
Originally published on January 13, 2014
Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington have developed micro-windmills that could be used to provide power for cell phones.
The micro-windmill is made of a flexible metal alloy that can withstand strong winds without fracturing. It is about 1.8mm at its widest point, meaning 10 could fit on a single grain of rice, and hundreds could be embedded in a cell phone case.
Wind energy created by waving the cell phone in the air or holding it up to an open window on a windy day would generate electricity to charge the cell phone's battery.
According to a press release published by the university, the design blends "origami concepts into conventional wafer-scale semiconductor device layouts so complex 3-D moveable mechanical structures can be self-assembled from two-dimensional metal pieces utilizing planar multilayer electroplating techniques."
A Taiwanese company, WinMEMS Technologies, has already begun work on potential applications of the technology.
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Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington have developed micro-windmills that could be used to provide power for cell phones.
The micro-windmill is made of a flexible metal alloy that can withstand strong winds without fracturing. It is about 1.8mm at its widest point, meaning 10 could fit on a single grain of rice, and hundreds could be embedded in a cell phone case.
Wind energy created by waving the cell phone in the air or holding it up to an open window on a windy day would generate electricity to charge the cell phone's battery.
According to a press release published by the university, the design blends "origami concepts into conventional wafer-scale semiconductor device layouts so complex 3-D moveable mechanical structures can be self-assembled from two-dimensional metal pieces utilizing planar multilayer electroplating techniques."
A Taiwanese company, WinMEMS Technologies, has already begun work on potential applications of the technology.
--------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.
Check out our official website: http://us.tomonews.net/
For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS
Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories:
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Stay connected with us here:
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Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS
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