Tiny windmills to charge phones?
Article By: Staff Reporter
Mon, 13 Jan 2014 5:06 PMScientists have developed a tiny windmill that could potentially be used to charge smartphones.
The team, consisting of UT Arlington scientists Smitha Rao and JC Chiao, created the micro-windmill, which measure 1.8 millimetres at its widest point.
To emphasise how tiny it is, the team said that a grain of rice can play host to ten of these little creations.
Of course, one micro-windmill won't be enough for charging a smartphone, which is why a sleeve containing hundreds of these tiny devices has been touted.
"Wind, created by waving the cell phone in air or holding it up to an open window on a windy day, would generate the electricity that could be collected by the cell phone’s battery," UT Arlington reported.
The innovation could lead to panels containing thousands of micro-windmills being used for energy harvesting in homes, Chiao said.
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