The DC/DC converter in this story is more impressive than it looks. Starting up a boost converter from an input voltage as low as 320mV is a neat electronics trick! Having the ability to convert a low voltage source up to something useful will be really handy for solar and other energy harvesting applications. Such as... you know... stuff! Like breathing while wearing a shirt on made of this material. Or maybe just a hamster running on it's wheel. (story) Not sure why they don't just put a generator on the wheel instead of strapping nano-wires to it - but hey, they're working on PhDs so what do I know?
Also I kind of want a hamster with a speedometer hooked up to it's wheel now.
(This post shamelessly inspired, think 5th grade history report, by the www.powermanagementdesignline.com newsletter. ...I added value, really!)
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Shameless but awesome. I liked this: "At the suggestion of Wang’s daughter, Melissa, the researchers found that hamsters are more active creatures – but only after 11PM."
ReplyDeleteI think if they outfitted all children under the age of 12 with a power generating jacket we could solve the worlds energy needs. Kids never run out of it.