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Fuel Cells For (Military) Portable Computing

Posted by timothy on from the call-it-vaporware-with-impunity dept.

SEWilco writes: "A 2-3 pound fuel cell is being developed to power wearable military systems for a week." 2 to 3 pounds may sound like a lot, but it gets more reasonable when you consider that it means not carrying a conventional battery or an AC adapter around. Of course, you may not be able to take your battery onto an airplane, though ...

6 of 141 comments (clear)

  1. Fuel Cells by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3

    Just make sure the Chinese don't manage to get their hands on this technology... oh, nevermind, you can't take it on plaines.

  2. Nitpick: This article isn't about a fuel cell! by Myself · · Score: 3

    The article is talking about a fuel processor, which produces the hydrogen which is then fed into a fuel cell. The fuel cell itself is existing tech, the innovation here is the processor.

    Seems to me that this would have great applications elsewhere, say in remotely-located weather stations.

  3. Negative mass? by michaelmalak · · Score: 3
    a system weighing 10 times less than batteries soldiers currently carry

    So I guess that's negative nine times the weight of current batteries.

  4. Reminds me of stormtroopers by HongPong · · Score: 3
    For some reason with the fuel cells I think of the Imperial Stormtroopers...

    Have you ever noticed that moderators usually knee-jerk moderate comments below #20 down? I suppose I should type more slowly. And they collectively have little sense of off the wall humor, I suppose that's why SpanishInquisition never posts anymore, I really liked him.

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    --hongpong.com
  5. Smaller fuel cells by loafy · · Score: 3

    I heard a piece on the radio a few weeks ago about an even smaller fuel cell--about the size of a thimble--that could be used to fuel cellular phones... I dont recall if the technology was actually available now or not... I think that hydrogen fuel cells are the only real viable alternative energy source, ballard fuel cells have been used in several large cities to power public transportation for some time now. Another advantage is that hydrogen in its liquified form can be distributed with little modification to todays gas distribution infastructure.

  6. Wearable military computers. by Liquid-Gecka · · Score: 4

    These will not be used in battle for the time being. These are mostly for behind the lines type of service. One example I know of is a active repair utility. You can pull up all the documentation you need to repair a vehicle on the field without having to call or talk to somebody. You can also look at the schematic of something without carrying around piles of papers. And when your underneath something trying to put it back together, its really nice to just pull up the information you need on a wearable computer instead of having to continuously remove yourself to look at a laptop or desktop computer.
    The same ideas could be applied to medical personnel. Having a complete online medical resource kit could be really useful when in the middle of nowhere trying to repair bullet wounds.