Hamsters On Treadmills Provide Electricity Through Use Of Nanogenerators

[NOW tense]

ScienceDaily (Feb. 14, 2009) — Could hamsters help solve the world's energy crisis? Probably not, but a hamster wearing a power-generating jacket is doing its own small part to provide a new and renewable source of electricity.

And using the same nanotechnology, Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have also generated electrical current from a tapping finger – moving the users of BlackBerry devices, cell phones and other handhelds one step closer to powering them with their own typing.

"Using nanotechnology, we have demonstrated ways to convert even irregular biomechanical energy into electricity," said Zhong Lin Wang, a Regent's professor in the Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering. "This technology can convert any mechanical disturbance into electrical energy."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090213115020.htm



Imagine a 10 story building of hamsters in wheels powering a city in their little jackets.

In all honesty this could be huge, and I don't mean the hamster idea.

[Uben]

1. A/C and Heat without electricity or fossil fuel

Now, THAT would be an accomplishemnt! Imagine if we could find a way to generate creature comfort for free.

[HillbillyBob]

5. If you have some windows that can be free heat,

We have a house on a North South axis. We have been adding spot insulation, finding penetrations where pipes and wires come in and put gaskets in the light switch and outlet covers, pipe insulation on the hot water pipes.
I have insulating blackout curtain liners($20-$25 per single window) at night when it is cold out I close them and also have mini blinds and roll down blinds, the space between each curtain-blind-window makes an insulating dead air space, on cold sunny days I open them to take advantage of solar heat gain, on hot days I leave them mostly closed, enough to get light inside, but not the full heat of the Sun.
I live in north Central NC, we get 4 seasons here.
We have added some other energy savers, Front loader washer 1090$, it not only uses 15 gallons for a load compared to 60gallons or more a top loader uses, it takes 1 tablespoon (yea thats right) soap for a load of clothes, you almost do not need bleach unless your whites are really messed up. Bosch Nexxt 500 with a water heater in it, and the sanicare mode gets out stuff I never thought would come out. Plus your clothes last longer and take less time to dry as they are almost dry when they come out.
We have also gotten an energy star dishwasher, and deep freeze. Dishwasher uses less water and power than hand washing, the freezer saves us money because we have a garden and I buy beef from a local farmer.
We have changed all of the lights for CFLs then LEDs, we replaced the tv when it died with an DLP projector that uses about 2/3 the power and gives us a nice big theater and I can read the news scrawl. I have plug strips for cell phone and battery chargers, coffee pot and microwave that I try to remember to turn off.
We want to cut it even more then install solar power.
We have a solar water heater to install this summer and that should knock off 20-30$ per month, since we have a well and electric water heater.
We want to put in a solar water pump for the well and also a rain harvest to water the garden and power that with gravity/solar.
While a solar water pump system will cost about 3000$ its ROI will be about 5 years, and we will have running hot and cold water when the power is out here..which is often.
We can do a whole lot to cut energy use w/o losing comforts. We have tv, puter, vacuum etc. Mostly its remembering to turn off lights, there are auto light switches that cost about $20 motion sensor that will turn on the light in a room then turn it off when you leave. I put mechanical twist timers from Lowes $15 on all the walk in closets and bathroom exhaust fans, they come in 15/30/60 minute values, I used 15 minute ones, I will put in 2hr ones for the lights, Im rarely in there that long. Twist the timer when you walk in and forget it. I did that because I did forget and come back hours later and the fan or the closet light would still be on.
Some companies are working on Thin Film photovoltaics that can be put on your windows allowing most of the light in, they can also be used on metal or other smooth roofs and will last as long or longer than most roofing materials, they are even working on solar film pv paint.
The average house in the US uses 3,000 kilowatt hrs of electricity, we went from 3400 kwhrs to 2-2500 in summer, 3000 to 1300 in winter, and 2000 to 1100 in spring and fall. We want to double the R value of insulation and cut those numbers to 1200 summer, 500 fall/winter/spring. a 1kw solar system is bout 10,000

[Lasher]

2. The hamster population explosion would doom the planet.

All those tiny hamster farts would combine into a massive methane release, destroing the ozone layer and all life on earth.

:scared:

[Javaman]

9. Personally, I would welcome our new hamster overlords. nt

[ConcernedCanuk]

3. interesting - imagine a nanogenerator in your waterline?

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.
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every time you washed dishes, flushed the toilet, showered - the running water would be running a mini "hydro" dam sorta

very interesting . . .

Roller-blading to power your cd-player while you roll !!

hmmmm

[NOW tense]

4. or speakers powering your speakers. n/t

[NOW tense]

6. Recharging your phone on a pogo stick. n/t

:bounce:

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. Humans on treadmills....next step.

What??????
too "galley slave" for ya?

Ever see a fat galley slave?

And let's see the Corpocracy outsource THAT job !!!!

sometimes I have to laugh...else.....:cry:

[Javaman]

8. Think of the pile of hamster poop pellets in that basement.

this idea would totally revive the shaved wood industry!!!