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A microscopic windmill could one day provide a portable method of charging devices. The tiny machines, just 1.8 millimeters at their widest point (10 can fit on a single grain of rice), can harvest energy from the movement of air.
They are the work of University of Texas, Arlington, research associate Smitha Rao and electrical engineering professor J.-C. Chiao. The pair envisions smartphone cases embedded with hundreds of windmills that could charge the phones therein when waved through the air or held by an open window on a windy day.
The windmills were crafted using origami techniques that allow two-dimensional shapes to be electroplated on a flat plane, then self-assembled into 3D moving mechanical structures. They're made of a durable, flexible nickel alloy that can stand up to strong winds without fracturing, helped by a minimal, aerodynamic design.
They are the work of University of Texas, Arlington, research associate Smitha Rao and electrical engineering professor J.-C. Chiao. The pair envisions smartphone cases embedded with hundreds of windmills that could charge the phones therein when waved through the air or held by an open window on a windy day.
The windmills were crafted using origami techniques that allow two-dimensional shapes to be electroplated on a flat plane, then self-assembled into 3D moving mechanical structures. They're made of a durable, flexible nickel alloy that can stand up to strong winds without fracturing, helped by a minimal, aerodynamic design.
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