Slashdot Mirror
Microgenerators Coming Soon to Electronics Near You
fygment writes "A new microgenerator developed at Georgia
Tech can now produce enough power to run a small electronic device, like a cell phone, and may soon be able to power a laptop. The microgenerator is about 10 millimeters wide, or about the size of a dime. When coupled with a similarly sized gas-fueled microturbine (or jet) engine, the system, called a microengine, has the potential to deliver more energy and last 10 times longer than a conventional battery. This is still just a quarter of the problem. A turbine
is still being developed to turn the generator and that will require fuel and storage of some kind."
Welcome to the age of steam powered laptops!
You know, the one where the guy is chasing his MP3 player down the street. I didn't realize that they were turbine Energizer batteries. Duh!
EricSee your HTTP headers here
I can see MP3 players of the future becoming like cars in the movies. Drop it, and watch the spectacular explosion as all the fuel goes up.
The next thing will be a private nuclear reactor.
....and is a "quarter" of the problem. Hahahaha. That's some funny shit.
A turbine is still being developed to turn the generator and that will require fuel and storage of some kind.
Think outside the box. You've got a 10mm generator, but no way to turn it...
Hamsters! They're cheap and portable. They're a renewable resource. They generate very little excess heat. Their fuel source is available almost anywhere, is non-toxic, and doesn't explode.
Just picture it, the whole world over, millions of laptops, and on top of each screen a hamster in a cage. This is the face of technological improvement.
The cure for cancer is coming: Reovirus
Didn't we just see an article about exploding phone batteries? Is this competing to make smaller things explode in an even more impressive way?
Sample this!
"He may look like an idiot, and talk like an idiot, but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot." - Duck Soup
Who says the turbine has to be powered by fossil fuel? It could be a hydro turbine with penstock attached to your dick. Or perhaps methane powered with a hose stuffed in your ass. Vegans are known for producing copious quantities of methane.
.Other methane sources include your composting latrine, port to cows stomach, and even composting of dead cats
.
Now I'm the grandest Tiger in the Jungle!
Just imagine:
There you are, staring at me again.
Mmmmm - ethanol.
A fine is a tax you pay for doing wrong and a tax is a fine you pay for doing all right.
"Detailed calculations indicate that the actual scaling is not quite that dramatic, but a millimeter-size engine would have a thrust-to-weight ratio of about 100:1, compared with 10:1 for the best modern aircraft engines."
:)
This gives me visions of a jumbojet with the whole wingspan covered in thousands of really small jet engines.
If we use ethanol, I could drink the battery while I'm talking to my mother in law. Sorry, the battery is dying, gotta go!
To power the new Radeon Mobility X800 graphics card, your laptop will enable the afterburner. This will inject kerosene into the exhaust jet to provide additional power to the generator. Please keep the laptop away from combustible materials for your own safety. During operation, you should wear noise protection earmuffs and keep a fire extinguisher handy. Turbine blades must be inspected by your closest General Electric Turbines facility each 10,000 hours of operation. Only use unleaded JET A1 fuel. DANGER: Avoid jet blast! Do not obstruct the air intake or data loss may occur.
--- Eat my sig.
A metremeter is device for measuring things that are 1 metre long. It has only two numbers 0 and 10 marked at opposite ends.
A metermetre is a metre within the precision (and accuracy) of the meter that was used to measure the metre.
A metermeter is a device used to measure meters in units unknown.
A metremetre is a square with area of 1 metre in length on each side. A metremetremetre would be used for cubes.
Thank you.
The message on the other side of this sig is false.
[Sigh]
Do I have to all the thinking round here? Just turn the turbine with an electric motor running off a battery.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."