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Mobile
device makers have a few options for improving battery life. They can cram huge
batteries into phones and tablets. They can improve the efficiency of chips,
wireless modules, and screens. Or they can wait for battery technology to get
better… which could take a while (although there are some advances in battery tech on the horizon).
Another
approach is to let you recharge your battery on the go without stopping to plug
in your device. Some companies already offer solar-powered smartphone cases, but
fully recharging your phone with solar power can take days.
University
of Texas Arlington researchers have a different idea: windmills. Tiny, tiny windmills.
Smitha
Rao and J C Chiao designed a tiny windmill that’s just 1.8mm thick at its widest
point. You can fit 10 windmills on a grain of rice, or hundreds on a typical
smartphone case.
Need
a bit of extra juice for your phone? Just hook up a case with all of those
windmills and wave it around in the air for a few minutes, or stick your phone
out the window of your moving car to pick up some wind.
Odds
are your arm would get tired or your car ride would finish before your phone was
fully charged. But it might not take as long if you just need to generate enough
juice to make a quick phone call in an emergency.
The
little windmills are made from a durable nickel alloy and have been shown not to
break under strong winds.
UT
Arlington is working with WinMEMS
Technologies to find commercial applications for the technology. At
this point I haven’t seen details about just how much energy one of these little
windmills generates or how many you’d need to actually keep a phone charged for
a reasonable amount of time. But if the technology advances it could pose an
alternative to solar power or hand cranks in some situations.
via Gizmodo
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