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Microgenerators Coming Soon to Electronics Near You

Posted by michael on from the kickstart-your-cellphone dept.

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."

10 of 254 comments (clear)

  1. No thanks. by davidbrit2 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Yes, what a great idea, let's INCREASE our dependency on fossil fuels for powering our portable electronics.

    And the hot exhaust from the turbine would feel absolutely lovely against one's leg while being carried in a pocket.

    Somehow I don't see this miniature jet engine concept really "taking off" (hur hur).

    1. Re:No thanks. by dnnrly · · Score: 4, Interesting

      More than likely these microgenerators will be powered by methanol. It's easy to produce, well understood, and easy to handle. All this makes it CHEAP! Since methanol will come from specially grown crops, so in some respects it can be regarded as CARBON NEUTRAL. In other words, it won't contribute any more CO2 to the atmosphere than was taken out to produce it.

      Factoring in the other energy used to produce the crop (such as powering tractors, transporting it etc) can be quite complicated and will no doubt slightly offset the advantages but overall I seem to recall that it isn't a bad trade off.

  2. pointless? by zing22 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Surely, if it's a generator running off a turbine running off another fuel, surely it's just a whole big waste of energy in a small space? My science skills are not what they used to be but I don't see why this is great?

    Enlighten me please!

  3. Thermoelectric generators... by mikael · · Score: 2, Interesting

    A while back, there was an article about how implants could be powered using body heat by using the thermoelectric effect (heat causes electrons to move, which creates current). Wouldn't it be possible to do the same thing with the heat coming off a computer system, especially the CPU and GPU?

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    Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
  4. Tech Specs by otuz · · Score: 2, Interesting


    Consumers, industry, and the military are all demanding smaller power supplies for smaller and more pervasive electronic devices. Researchers at the National University of Singapore and California State Polytechnic University (Pomona) recently developed a microgenerator to meet these needs. As long as hydrogen and air are fed into it, the 1-cm3 device generates 4.5 W.

    Previous proposals for microgenerators attempted to scale down existing generator designs, but their moving parts made them difficult to manufacture. The team's proposal dispenses with moving parts entirely. The new design radiates heat obtained from hydrogen combustion. A selective emitter focuses the radiation into a small range of wavelengths, and a photovoltaic converter subsequently turns the radiation into electricity.

  5. self-winding? by Doc+Ruby · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Since these generators are so much more efficient than batteries, and so small, why not hook them to an electrolyzer, storing the energy as hydrogen, in pancake-sized cells with gyros to spin them? Human motion can be captured for all our devices. Not only will we power devices without foreign oil, but Americans will have a reason to get off our asses and exercise - desperately needed by the most battery-hungry demographics.

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    make install -not war

  6. C'mon, you lardasses by blair1q · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I can generate well over 300 watts on a bicycle. You can generate 100 watts essentially indefinitely without breaking a sweat.

    You want to listen to your iPod? Hook it up to your bike!

    I wear my iPod when I'm on my bike. Imagine how much cooler it would be if it didn't neeed a battery...

  7. Why not mini-Stirling engines? by cratos · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Shouldn't these engineers be concentrating on building a miniature Stirling engine instead? The processor itself could provide most of the heat for the engine. Also, this would make the whole system a lot more efficient. Instead of generating more wasted energy in the form of heat, the heat from the processor would be recovered and turned into more electricity.

  8. Re:Virtually everything is "steam" powered! by RipTides9x · · Score: 2, Interesting

    And whats the most dangerous part about working at a nuclear fired power plant ?
    The same thing as any other power plant.
    Steam leaks.
    At least it is according to the 45min OSHA video and 30min Plant Safety video I had to sit through in order to set foot on the site to do work.

  9. Radio Runs On Free Energy by ralphcringely · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Reminds me of a radio that runs wihout batteries or a plug. There was a how-to-build-it in Popular Science many years ago.

    You take a crystal radio, tune it to a strong AM station, run the output not to a loudspeaker but to a rectifier, then use that to power a transistor radio which you can tune to any station.

    Viola! Free energy!

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    Tell me again, who knew Mary was a virgin, and how did they know?