This Engineering Newswire looks at using light to safely drive battery power, developing a Hoverbike for the military and powering engines with evaporation.
Photo Battery Leaves Metal-Ion in the Dark
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research have come up with a way to use solar or artificial light to safely drive battery power. They call it the "photo battery" and it uses light and titanium nitride for the anode.
Metal-ion batteries power most of our gadgets, but they take a long time to charge and sometimes they even overheat and catch fire. These problems are often related to the unstable material used for the anode. The researchers developed a battery with a titanium nitride photoanode that is really stable and, thus far, safer than conventional options.
DoD Helps Develop Hoverbike
This week at the Paris Air Show, Malloy Aeronautics revealed a deal with the U.S. Department of Defense to develop its Hoverbike. The Hoverbike, which is similar to a quadcopter, uses four standard helicopter style rotors, and would operate in a new class of Tactical Reconnaissance Vehicles.
After successfully testing the bike, a final engineering prototype will be submitted to aviation certification authorities. It is expected to sell for around $55,000, but if you would like to buy a prototype now to do your own testing, the company is open to discussions.
Evaporation Powered Engines
Columbia University scientists have developed two novel devices that derive power directly from evaporation. A floating, piston-driven engine and a rotary engine that drives a miniature car that they call Eva.
Last year, researchers found that when bacterial spores shrink and swell with changing humidity, they can push and pull other objects forcefully. To build a floating, piston-driven engine, the researchers glued spores to both sides of a thin, double-sided plastic tape akin to that in cassette tapes, creating a dashed line of spores.
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