very cool! On Thu, 25 Oct 2007, Boyce, Ray wrote:
> "It's pretty cool," says Henry Sodano, an adjunct professor of > engineering "mechanical engineering -- engineering mechanics, who > recently accepted a faculty > appointment at Arizona State University. "We are harnessing free energy > that would normally be lost." > > With mechanical engineering graduate students Jonathan Granstrom and > Joel Feenstra, Sodano designed straps made of a piezoelectric material > that can convert > mechanical strain into electrical energy. > > You probably wouldn't be able to plug a TV into your backpack; the > system is designed for use with devices that require small amounts of > electricity, such > as a GPS unit. Alternatively, a hiker could charge up a headlamp while > walking during the day and then turn it on after dark. Or the backpack > could generate > enough power to recharge a handheld computer. > > The straps are made of a nylon-like polymer that produces a fluctuating, > AC current that could be stored in a battery or a capacitor. The > researchers teamed > up with the Blacksburg, Va., company NanoSonic Inc. to develop a > specialized electrode grown on the surface of the strap using > nanotechnology. > > The beauty of the design is that it requires no extra effort on the part > of the user, unlike other devices that transform mechanical energy into > electricity, > such as wind-up flashlights. It's part of a new field called "energy > harvesting." > > "We're trying to capture free power. You don't need watts of energy for > many modern electronics," Sodano said. "We're not trying to generate > significant > levels of power, just enough to perform a useful function." > > Someone shouldering a heavy pack, such as a soldier in the field, could > generate 45.6 milliwatts of power walking two or three miles per hour. > That's enough > wattage to power small electronics. Or, it could be accumulated for > later use. > > "In general, we want to accumulate the power before using it; for > example you could walk for 20 minutes then have enough power to talk for > 2.5 minutes on > your cell phone," Sodano says. > > The research was funded by the Office of Naval Research, which is > investigating power sources for Marines in the field. The researchers > hope to receive > additional support to develop a prototype and then to commercialize > their innovation. > > ********************************************************************** > This message and its attachments may contain legally > privileged or confidential information. If you are not the > intended recipient, you must not disclose or use the > information contained in it. If you have received this e-mail > in error, please notify the sender immediately by return > e-mail and delete the e-mail. > > Any content of this message and its attachments which > does not relate to the official business of Eraring Energy > must be taken not to have been sent or endorsed by > Eraring Energy. No warranty is made that the e-mail or > attachment(s) are free from computer virus or other defect. > ********************************************************************** > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > >
