Smitha Rao, an Indian American Researcher Develops Tiny
Windmills To Recharge Cell Phones
Smitha
Rao, an Indian American Research Associate at the University Of
Arlington at Texas and her Electrical Engineering Professor, J. C
Chiao, have developed a micro-windmill that generates wind energy
that can be tapped to open a world of opportunities. This extremely
tiny device, measuring only 1.8 mm at its widest part, 10 of which
can be accommodated into a single grain of rice and
hundreds in a sleeve of a cell phone, (and get excited about this)
could be the answer to our easily discharging cell phones
(finally!phew!).
According to the University
News Center, Rao’s designs blend origami concepts into
conventional wafer-scale semiconductor device layouts. Waving
the cell phone in air or holding it up to an open window on a windy
day, would generate electricity that could be collected by the cell
phone’s battery.The micro windmills were tested successfully
in September 2013 in Chiao’s lab. The windmills operate under strong
artificial winds without any fracture in the material because of the
durable nickel alloy and smart aerodynamic
design.
Rao’s works in micro-robotic devices
first caught the interest of a Taiwanese company, WinMEMS
Technologies Co., that is now exploring the commercial
possibilities, while UT Arlington has applied for a provisional
patent.
The device also has the potential of
being used for home energy generation where large windmills cannot
be used.
Smitha Rao comes from a family of doctors and
engineers. She originally intended to be a surgeon, but
her life took several turns. After doing her undergraduate at
the Bangalore Institute of Technology in India, she
graduated with a telecommunications degree from BIT, and then joined
the Electrical Engineering Program at UT
Top: Smitha Rao; Bottom: Micro windmills on a penny)
Arlington in 2002.
There she met the Associate Professor, J.C. Chiao in the Fiber
Optics course. Little did she know then that the alliance will
lead to her glory. It was he
who guided her toward MEMS,
or microelectromechanical
systems, a technology that builds micro-scale robots suitable for
“in vivo” medical applications. Rao is currently
a Associate-Research at UTArlington.
And naturally, every
time anyone of Indian origin makes a noteworthy contribution in any
field, it swells our heart with pride and there's a sense of
inspiration for us and our young
ones.
