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Georgia Tech Unveils Prototype Nanogenerator
Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology have created a working prototype nanogenerator capable of generating as much as 4 watts per cubic centimeter of continuous direct current. The generators are green (to use), drawing power from natural motion in the surrounding environment. They are based on non-toxic chemicals and should be safe for use in biomechanical implants, but that's not their only potential use. From the article: "If you had a device like this in your shoes when you walked, you would be able to generate your own small current to power small electronics," Wang noted. "Anything that makes the nanowires move within the generator can be used for generating power. Very little force is required to move them."
I think after this UNESCO announcement we can now say that [+-]Age is coming!
"Electric Emoticon Announcement" http://thedialogs.org/2007/04/11/electric-emoticon -announcement/
Isn't this essentially his engine? Never thought that piece of science fiction would come to life.
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
I needed one of these to power my iPod Femto for 3 seconds.
I can throw as many stones as I wish; my house is made of transparent aluminum.
I wonder if i could generate enough energy from my hands shaking to power my espresso machine. that would be useful :)
I've hade some serious hatred issues with people who buy 2GW subwoofers and drive down my road. Would these nanogenerators significantly increase their output in such situations? Or are the subwoofer-produced sound frequencies too low for these generators to convert to energy?
Quite a few years ago I had a watch powered by the exact same principle. Merely walking around would generate the power it needed to keep itself running. Unfortunately as I got more and more into computers I found the watch holding less and less of a charge, until eventually it stopped working altogether. If I had to choose between movement and a watch or computers I would have to say I'm glad there's a clock in the bottom right corner of the screen.
That's pretty fucking sweet. Maybe this could be used to power wireless transmitters on your tire (tire pressure gauges), rather than using batteries or inductive power transfer.
I wonder though what frequency and amplitude gives you that kind of power output. This might not be quite as useful as it first sounds if it requires ultrasonic vibrations.
That sees these things replacing the the "solar panels" in smaller calculators and other such devices? It doesn't seem that they output enough nA to do much else useful. Perhaps in medical devices such as implantable insulin pumps...etc?
The political situation in many countries makes me concerned for the future, nanotechnology gives me hope that humanity is still progressing in its development.
Also, we're seeing more and more of these "something useful from nanotech" articles. I'm hoping this means the original rounds of research are beginning to come to fruition, and we'll see consumer products in 4-10 years.
Couldn't this be used to make a self-powered Wii? Lord knows, I'm jumping around like a monkey when I play on that thing.
Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
If you had a device like this in your shoes when you walked, you would be able to generate your own small current to power small electronic.
It's called "static electricity" and you don't need a special invention to make it happen.
Somebody should attempt to coat the blades of a windmill with these.
Sigs are for Terrorists.
I thought this was covered on Slashdot next week.
This thing works a lot like a piezoelectric fire-starter. I think that 4W/cc potential output power is a peak, not continuous. This may have specialized uses, like powering wristwatches, but it's not a major power source.
Calculators are definitely in. Heck, I bet that we could power all of the calculators in the office from the one my co-worker uses. He punches the silly thing routinely when he makes a mistake while using it.
Then again, with tax season reaching its climax, I would imagine that he's not the only one physically abusing a calculator.
Ok, so assume your wearing gloves on your hands. And your hands are (work with me here, this is a complete guess) about 15 centimeters long by 10 wide, thats 150 cubic centimeters. However, you need your hands in there, so only about 1/8th of that is useable space, so 18.75 cubic centimeters that you could put on gloves and not have a huge problem with. According to his 4 watts per cubic centimeter, we're looking at about the power of a lightbulb (75 watts), per hand. An espresso machine is 1100 watts.
You'd need basically an entire body-suit to power an espresso machine.
When will this be avalible in AA size?
Ballmer to demo at CES: A laptop you can power by throwing it across the room!
Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish, and he'll say "WHERE'S MY FISH, YOU IDIOT?"
FTA: "...the generators produce a direct current output in the nano-Ampere range."
Summary could be a little more accurate, seems that in absolutely perfect conditions it could mathematically produce 4W. Who knows what the real world efficiency would be.
"...with optimization, their nanogenerator could produce as much as 4 watts per cubic centimeter - based on a calculation for a single nanowire."
Still could be a very useful device, especially if it's durable enough and can be produced cheaply enough to integrate into clothing or maybe even larger areas.
When years ago I got a self-winding watch, I thought of putting such a mechanism in a backpack that the single-digit-set would be strapped into. Every day its spring could be discharged into some sort of energy reservoir. This would both harness kids' inexhaustible energy and slow them down a bit.
Now we have an unobtrusive direct-to-battery technology. Lets get some useful work out of those tykes!
As someone who's spent over a decade with piezo materials, let me very clear: BFD. This is not a new effect, this is not higher efficiency, it's not even new to be non-toxic. They just made it small. Granted, they used the ZnO to both generate and rectify the current, so that might make it useful (as the article states) for nano devices. But for larger stuff, run of the mill piezo materials offer higher D33, Q, etc. Some simple circuitry and you're off and running. Difficult? Nope! I built the generation half of one last month because I needed a quick hydrophone (thereby converting ultrasound to current). 2 minutes from overstock originally bought from on E-bay for generating ultrasound ($13 well spent).
What you are really seeing is publish or perish in action.
The world is made by those who show up for the job.
First and foremost I think technology like this is great and is always a step closer to any sci-fi geeks dreams of seeing those ever elusive technologies that we only read about in books.
What did catch my eye is the size and the comment of, "Very little force is required to move them". It got me thinking on a larger scale, if small vibrations were enough to power these little generators what would happen if we plastered an entire inner wall of lets say a dam like Hoover. I know little to nothing about the amount of vibrations are caused to a structure like a dam (I'm sure they want to minimize and sort for structural integrity), however I'm sure there is some present as water is channeled through the many different ducts/pipes/tunnels to get the water on the other side of the dam they are present regardless of how many engineering precautions were taken.
My thinking was if we apply the nano-generators to existing structures, such as dams. Wouldn't it just be like a free power source for these, for them to start generating power? Possible to add to the dam's power output? The other question I suppose is what sort of heat do these generate in large numbers?
Meh, in either case, still something "neat" to read about. I'd really like to see what the plans are for actual every day use in the (hopefully) near future. I'm sure my thoughts are riddled with holes and loopholes, but I guess until I take some time to research them more I won't be able to fully understand what the possible implications can be when using the nano-generators on a larger scale projects.
(One of these years I'll get to creating an real account on here rather then posting anonymous all the time.)
With that setup, MacGyver could power a Hummer H1 for years!
Ever seen a tree sway in the wind during a nice summer/spring day? Put a bunch of these things on the branches, and there you go, constant swaying. Maybe even a bird will bump into it and knock some watts to your house
Self winding watches anyone? Pedometers?
They both have pendulums in them that spin when you move. The watch winds a spring, the pedometer spins a gear system to log the distance you've walked. How hard would it be to take that concept and use the pendulums to spin little generators? Put one in your cell phone so that as you walk around it recharges itself. Duh..
There's a lot of ways this could be put to use.
I'm 100% in love with the idea of a pollution free "self powered world" where everything is powered by natural, passive means, runs silently and "fossil fuels" are a thing of the past. Yeah, it's a dream but I like my dream.
Very cool! Doesn't this remind anyone of the impact/compression power generation idea used by Ilia Volyova in the Bridgehead used to penetrate Cerberus?
I was only reading that part last night and this article brought on a feeling of deja vu!
Make a tinsel like device that flaps in the breeze.
Coat flags in it!
Yes indeed. This is presumably of some minor interest to those working in the field. Actually, probably a bit more than that, since it was published in Science rather than in some more specialized journal.
But by the time it hits the press release phase, and then the press release hits the breathless-Slashdot-summary phase, you get a minor accomplishment turned into the Second Coming. We saw the same thing last week with the solar-cell pigments, and many times before that.
I've always imagined that the scientists who wrote the paper are a bit embarrassed by the unwarranted attention paid to their work, but probably just as happy if it makes their lives easier in the next grants cycle. But I honestly don't know if a widely-reported press release counts for more than an article in Science (which is actually a pretty big accomplishment.)
Couldn't waves activate these nicely...
-Tim Louden
The 4W/cc was quoted as the maximum possible output AFTER optimization based on the generation capabilities of a single wire. 4W/cc would be a very impressive output for biomedical implant type applications, but currently the generator chips are putting out current on the nano-amp scale. So, this technology is in its infancy, but considering there wasn't anything available for powering nano tech sized devices (which only need nano-amp current) this could be huge for powered nano-scale devices. As far as powering your watch or your toaster don't count on it in the near future. They used an ultrasonic generator to drive the device so a low frequency kinetic drive, (heart beat, annoying thumping car stereo, etc) hasn't been demonstrated and probably wouldn't be as continuous as an ultrasonic driving force. The continuous (but varying) current seems to depends on the fact that there are currently hundreds of nanowires in motion so that some of them are always transfering energy. When the design is optimized with millions highly regular nano-wires it should provide more current, but not necessarily more consistent current. As the more consistent wires will be transferring energy with greater regularity, on and off in presence and absence of motion. Although something with regular motion like heartbeat might provide continuous motion I wonder if the device works no matter which direction the kinetic energy is going. Would it only work in systole but not diastole or would it work both ways? It would be interesting to see if they could couple this to a nano-capacitor / nano-battery to make flow more continuous. Although from the article it seems that nano-batteries aren't available because batteries just aren't that small (and they use poisionous metals so they're not good for implants). Interesting stuff. Maybe it's just the breakthrough we need to develop grey goo. :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_goo
--David
...might be enough to power my wifes iPod that she listens to when I'm banging her.
Error reading device 'Signature'. (A)bort, (R)etry, (F)ail?
so if we were to use these at sperm banks, or the guys dorm rooms, enough power could be generated to power cities?
Hmm, a nano-ampere is about one electron per fortnight. You ain't gonna do much with that.
Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
Very little force is required to move them.
Only about 4watts/cm2
Car: It'll bring a new meaning to the word 'kick-start' or 'jump-start'.
Notebook, well it says natural motion, and it's nano-machine based, so I'm guessing this is just air motion and maybe slight vibration... My notebook won't know what to do with all the power it generates
34486853790
Connection too slow for X forwarding? Try "ssh -CX user@host"
I wonder if these generators are small enough to get power from brownian motion?
:)
Just in case I want to power my laptop with a cup of Tea.
Or my Improbability Drive.
The ones that are tossed around, i mean.
Read radical news here
to pick up the nature vibrations of our industrialized world and would it be economical to do so? Imagine entire freeways with these things cast right in the road bed.
Si vis pacem, para bellum! For evil to succeed good men need only do nothing!
Since Amperes and Watts are measurements of two different (though similar) things, it is perfectly capable (and probable) that it produces both.
I can't wait to hook one of these up to my nanoBattery charger.
But the cherry on all this is that I can still rely on familiar user experience metaphors within the nanoUI.
illegitimii non ingravare
If I had one of these things in my shoes, could I generate enough juice into a cap to give myself my own electro shock treatments? I sure build up enough walking around on the carpet in the winter to to that!
If this could be added to cars then they could power your house after the commute to work and back.
101111011101100100000111001001101001
My friend the principle of energy conservation told me that they are no more green to use than that which causes the motion in the surrounding environment (probably a little less).
Swedish plasma phys. PhD student; MSc EE; knows maths, programming, electronics; finance interest; seeks opportunities
Yea, and there are devices capable of generating electricity from just the wind, or sunlight, or tidal waves. But they are not competitive due to the high price.
What would be interesting in this article would be:
a) What would they cost compared to a NiMH battery?
b) How long would they last?
This is why medical applications is probably the are where this is most interesting. In medicine you often want very small long-lasting power sources that doesn't require surgery to replace. Don't expect to power your house with these things. It will almost certainly be orders of magnitude cheaper to just make sure your house is properly insulated (at least if you live in a country as cold as I do ).
Piezoelectricity?
Correct me if I'm wrong but this sound awfully familiar.
Couldn't these be used in hybrid vehicles to help charge the battery? Would help recover more lost energy and make the vehicle more efficient.
reech bee-yond ur clip-0n
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if 1cm2 produces 4 watt with only nano-amp output... what are the voltage on those things?? Must be Huge!! Unless, of course, it is 4 watt/year.
Watts = Volts * Amps
for DC, AC gets a little more complicated but this device is DC
The article states it produces nano amps... thats 10 to the -9 power, being extremely generous and allowing it to produce a 10V potential (it probably makes quite a bit less than one volt) still ends up producing only 0.00000001 Watts.
The article isn't clear though on the scale of their nano amp producing prototype though... How much of that little device he's holding is the actual generating mechanism.
If we could get these things to cover the heart or lungs, we'd have a nonstop flow of electricity that we could use. Just a thought.
To say something so colossally, demonstrably stupid?
I very much enjoy watching know-it-all jackasses like you make idiotic mistakes like you did. The only thing better would be a follow up punch in the nuts, but alas, technology fails on that one.
STFU and stop pretending you're educated on the subject before you say something else moronic.
Now, this is treading very closely to the concept of a perpetual motion machine...
So there has to be some kind of catch. (Besides of course the cost of manufacture)
Any generator eats some kind of force when operating with a load, ie: crank the armiture (sp), push the magnet, etc... How much heat does it put out?
This might not be a bad thing. The article doesn't mention if it dampens the vibration of the "nano unit", if so this might have unforseen applications, for shock absorbtion, sound proofing, who knows?
If there's waste heat, how can it be used? Hot water heaters, or heated socks?
Just read through all of the comments, but still not the article (true /. style). I didn't see any discussion on how much these little suckers cost/will cost.
$1/generatior and you are talking about $40,500,000 for your little "experiment." So yeah, this is really cool technology, but is it practical to implement on a large scale as compared to other traditional/established methods of power generation. Environmental benefits aside if it isn't at least close on value, then you *probably* won't see this for those type of applications.
When I have a kid, I want to put him in one of those strollers for twins and then run around the mall looking frantic.
to cube farm.
Someone hates these cans.
It produces nano amps per generator, each generator has a few hundred nanowires. How many generators fit in the cm that the 4W estimate was based off of, the article doesn't say. What potential do they raise it to, don't really know that either since we don't know how many generators fit in a cm. More importantly, why did the summary use Watt as measurement of current?
The fact is there aren't enough facts for us to say they are wrong, and it's safer to assume (in this case) that they aren't contradicting themselves with their own generator current measurement when compared to their power estimate.
The /. summary though just grabbed some big sounding numbers from the article and presented it as a done deal. They should read a little closer... ... gah, I'm acting like I'm new here.
What they really need to do is just mount these things to children. THEY produce PLENTY of movement. :)
Steve
A work that expires before its copyright never enters the public domain and thus enjoys eternal copyright protection.
Are you per chance playing Steve Ballmer Island Adventure?
The view was horrible and the smell was even worse; Julie severely regretted becoming a proctologist.
Great idea, but it is 4w per CUBIC centimeter. You would need a cubic acre, not a square acre, to generate that amount of power...
Another good place to put them would be under a highway bridge, or an oceanside wall for catching waves ...
Unfortunately, I don't see any indication that this would scale to something worthwhile on a larger scale; they haven't proven that this technology would scale to something more efficient than other green energy technologies, and I would guess that it does not.
That doesn't mean that this wouldn't be great for street lights and the like, powered by the people and cars moving by them, but I suspect solar power is more efficient. (Though this might be great for busy areas shaded by buildings or trees.)
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I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet... from the WikiPedia OLPC article:
If a single cubic centimeter device can put out twice that much energy, the foot petal attachment could be easily made far more optional; the laptop would be charged by simply schlepping it around. It would charge twice as fast as it is used with one nanogenerator, so an OLPC outfitted with three nanogenerators would charge an hour for each ten minutes of jostling. Keep in mind that the walk to school in the OLPC-targeted third-world countries is no ten minute jaunt.
Use my userscript to add story images to Slashdot. There's no going back.
If we attached wrist bands made of these to every kid upon reaching puberty we could probably meet the power needs of a large city. ;)
It's only paranoia if your wrong...
to power that nanotool kit that my wife got me for Xmas. Have you seen the prices for a new recharger from Home Depot for them? Now I can recharge them for practically nothing every time I misplace the scanning electron microscope I have to keep the things in. Hear that DeWalt? Can you feel that, huh?!
If my grammar and spelling are off, I am [distracted/tired/careless] (take your pick)
This would actually be pretty nice. Just have it in your pants, and then have a cord coming out into your pocket, powering something like your phone or your mp3 player.
> per cubic centimeter(sic) of continuous direct current
... now, exactly what is the volume of an electron?
That's the first time I've heard current measured in cubic centimetres.
I guess it's based on the number of electrons you can get in a cubic centimetres
Max.
There are self-charging electrical watches that indeed do what you say, power small generators from a pendulum.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_quartz
They don't generate anywhere near enough to power a cell phone, though.
What is that even supposed to mean? Without telling us the voltage or resistance, watts give no indication about current since they're used as a measurement of power. P=VI=RI^2