tech science wind_turbines power electricity mems windmill electronics engineering

Will Tiny Windmills Power Your Future Smartphone?

by Michael Keller

In the world of wind power generation, there are mills that tower 360 feet above the landscape pumping out 2.5 megawatts of clean electricity. And then there are these.

University of Texas at Arlington engineers have built and tested teeny microwindmills measuring just 1.8 millimeters at their widest point. That’s small enough to fit 2,040 on an iPhone 4, says co-creator J.C. Chiao, an electrical engineering professor at the university. They hope the embedded devices will one day supply electricity to consumer electronics and buildings.

University research associate Smitha Rao, who designed the device, envisions a time when the windmills are embedded in electronic devices, like on the sleeve of a smartphone. When electronics run out of power, she says, an owner could wave them in the air for a few minutes or put them beside an open window to bring them back to life.

Rao used ideas taken from Japanese paperfolding origami art to create working three-dimensional microelectromechanical systems (MEMs) out of flat nickel alloy pieces, according to a university release.

During September 2013 tests in Chiao’s lab, the flexible alloys did not crack while enduring brisk winds.

“The problem most MEMS designers have is that materials are too brittle,” Rao said. “With the nickel alloy, we don’t have that same issue. They’re very, very durable.”

(A detail view of the side of the microwindmill created with an electron microscope. Courtesy WinMEMS Technologies.)

There was no word on whether they’ve been able to generate electricity from the device yet. Still, the developers have been working with Taiwanese company WinMEMS Technologies to build the windmills and they’re already dreaming of big things for it.

“Imagine that they can be cheaply made on the surfaces of portable electronics,” Chiao said, “so you can place them on a sleeve for your smart phone. When the phone is out of battery power, all you need to do is to put on the sleeve, wave the phone in the air for a few minutes and you can use the phone again.”

The microwindmill is another example of incredibly small MEMs technologies now being developed for a number of uses.

Top Image: One of Rao’s windmills is shown on a penny for size comparison. Courtesy UTArlington.

January 14th, 2014

164

164 notes

http://www.tumblr.com/reblog/73318443877/P8N81QmP

tech science wind turbines power electricity mems windmill electronics engineering

Permalink

dystopia3 likes this

twillyams reblogged this from txchnologist

lets-allbeloser likes this

dayinknight reblogged this from txchnologist

dayinknight likes this

krupatroopa reblogged this from futurescope

krupatroopa likes this

the-nomadic-writer reblogged this from txchnologist

swordsmastercentral reblogged this from txchnologist

swordsmastercentral likes this

environmental-inc reblogged this from txchnologist

environmental-inc likes this

frawhaiii reblogged this from txchnologist

techscinews reblogged this from emergentfutures

colttaylor likes this

jdogselectricfreedom reblogged this from txchnologist

jdogselectricfreedom likes this

thesternlibrarian reblogged this from txchnologist

somangmelody reblogged this from txchnologist

misscollard reblogged this from txchnologist and added:

This is amazing to me. Number one, all of this work was accomplished at our school. Number two, this is something i...

jordantoverby reblogged this from txchnologist

bravo252 reblogged this from txchnologist

muckruckersstory reblogged this from txchnologist and added:

This is …. different

energeticagenerala reblogged this from nelcumihaela

nelcumihaela reblogged this from txchnologist

foodlogic13 likes this

case-custom reblogged this from txchnologist

mabsmith reblogged this from txchnologist

drako-artist reblogged this from txchnologist

boabjohn likes this

spowdan likes this

420powell likes this

lolderpderp reblogged this from txchnologist

inthisworldonlywinteriscertain reblogged this from futurescope and added:

Amazing.

inscener likes this

megandisney reblogged this from aneasytorememberurl

massivelux reblogged this from emergentfutures and added:

This is exciting!

fixintabarf likes this

imall4frogs likes this

manoletedrtumbler reblogged this from emergentfutures

yangyunfeng likes this

andermachines likes this

keeksta likes this

belarath likes this

kingstonhonkers likes this

faldawg likes this

thegreatandpowerfulum reblogged this from futurescope

thegreatandpowerfulum likes this

plantgeek72 reblogged this from txchnologist and added:

For me, the title alone made it worth reading. Finding within the article another intersection of origami and technology...

justhavetofeelthewaves reblogged this from paraparaparadigm

Show more notesLoading...

text

Next Post Previous Post

Featured

Topics

Earth

Space

Materials

Energy

Life and Nature

Building

Transportation

In Theory

Computing

Archive

About

Contact Us

Subscribe

© GENERAL ELECTRIC 2012. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

LATEST

blog comments powered by Disqus

FEATURED

Loading...