Related Sections: Future Tech
Tiny jet engines to power future laptops?
A jet-powered laptop may sound like the sort of gadget Q would give James Bond for his next adventure, but Professor Alan Epstein at MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics has been working to make the concept a reality. According to Epstein, a tiny gas turbine no larger than a quarter along with a fuel supply could replace the traditional battery in small, power-hungry portable devices like laptops, delivering five to ten times the endurance of a similarly sized battery pack. Espstein and his team are building the first engine using a sandwich of six silicon wafers that are bonded together at an atomic level, and plan to power it with liquid butane, the same stuff used in cigarette lighters, to avoid having the thing smell like an airport runway. As you might expect, the U.S. military has expressed plenty of interest, providing funding for the project, but don't expect to be able to go full throttle on your laptop for about another five years.
By DavemanXP at 8:47 AM ON 10/12/06
Seeing there has been no major breakthrough in Battery (redesigned) technology in 30 years or more.., this would be a welcome change.
The applications could be endless.
By bthoom at 9:18 AM ON 10/12/06
Just what we need - more heat...
By Bendertherobot at 9:24 AM ON 10/12/06
How about keeping an open mind regarding the new technology? How do you know that it will generate more heat than chemical batteries? Liquid fuels like butane absorb a great deal of heat as they move from a liquid to a gas state, as is needed for combustion. As a cell phone user of 20 years I can tell you that batteries do keep getting better.
By ralfthedog at 12:11 PM ON 10/12/06
It sounds cool. The questions I would have would be noise, airport security, and that it fails in a soft way. My guess is that the sound it makes is well above human hearing, you will not be allowed to take it on a plane and the microturbine will be well armored. The exhaust temperature will be a problem.
Can't wait to get one for my self.
By neiferone at 4:59 PM ON 10/12/06
I'm sorry, but aren't we supposed to be trying to REDUCE our global warming emissions? How about making it run on hydrogen, or solar power...anything cleaner than jet fuel.
By Laenerin at 6:48 PM ON 10/12/06
To neiferone, the article clearly stated, if you read the whole thing with an open mind, "...and plan to power it with liquid butane, the same stuff used in cigarette lighters, to avoid having the thing smell like an airport runway." So they're not powering the laptop with jet fuel, but I do agree that they need to progress with something more nature-friendly.
By JeffB2006 at 5:01 AM ON 10/13/06
Oooh, awesome. I would just wory about security in airport, sound, and the risk of combustable materials (though it may not be much at all). And if you don't believe in global warming (like I do), then there seems to be little problems. I look forward to this so that as technological developments continue, the portable power supply we use for them can grow as well.
By JohnAndrews at 11:32 AM ON 10/13/06
I assume it is actually powered by a generator that spins with the turbine... Why not use something like just plain compressed air, even with a battery backup as auxiliary power. Then it is flight approved and completely clean and cool running. All you have to do to recharge it is hook it to a little compressor that can be included like the ac adaptor or sold seperately. Great idea, I think, but over-engneered.
By misplacedtexan at 7:05 PM ON 10/13/06
The air compressor idea sounds kinda Rube Goldberg to me, but I don't think that it would be able to hold enough to maintain any real ehm.. battery? life.
By DataDoc at 8:44 PM ON 10/13/06
When oxygen is plentiful, butane burns to form carbon dioxide and water vapor. Not quite as clean as hydrogen, but not too shabby.
By DonQuijote at 11:40 PM ON 10/13/06
I don't know what a URL is, or if I have one where to find it.
I hope this wonderful new power sorce is affordable. Look foward to seeing application of this new power supply and if it will cut back or increase this planets pollution.
By zeratul366 at 11:21 PM ON 10/14/06
interesting idea but i don't think id want to carry around a liquid fuel laptop.
i like the alternative of the new capitors near instant recharge really long life and something along the lines of 24 hours of continueous use(talking currently is 8 max i think) on a celphone while also being smaller then current bateries.
currently only a theory but hey i think its more probable then this jet power idea.
By keono at 11:10 AM ON 10/19/06
Zeratul, you say you don't want to carry a liquid fuel laptop, but I'm sure you at one point in your life carried a butane lighter. I'm sure it's just as dangerous, if not LESS so than a lighter. As for explosion probability? It's very unlikely. The fuel container would have to be completely crushed almost instantaneously, AND a spark would need to be there. If you are in a situation where your laptop gets completely crushed instantly, then I don't think you're worrying about it getting blown up.
Airport security, is another world all together. They may require a battery "backup" for airplanes, rather than this micro turbine.
And there has been one major breakthrough. Lithium Polymer (sp?) batteries. If you want an environmentally safe battery, that's the way to go. To dispose of it, rupture the battery casing, and put it in a high salt concentration of salt water. it becomes inert after that. As for the heat? as someone explained, butane itself cools down rapidly as it expands to a gas to be burned. So, if they could use that cooling "ability" to coool down your processor, then you'd just have to watchout for the exhaust port! Your processor in your current laptops is what heats up, not the battery.
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keono:
Zeratul, you say you don't want to carry a liquid fuel laptop, but I'm sure you at one point in your life carried a...More »