Cool videos: storing energy in magnetic fields, motors powered by sound
Who says you have to use chemical batteries in electric cars? Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage System or SMES is a way storing electrical energy in magnetic fields. Chubu Electric Power and Furukawa Electric are creating an SMES not for long term storage, which SMES are not great at right now, but for quick energy bursts. SMES can store and release lots of energy very quickly like a capacitor. You can see a demonstration video of SMES below the fold.
Who says you have to use magnet motors in electric cars? Also below the fold is a video of a Spherical Ultrasonic Motor developed by the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. The motor uses ultrasound and has multiple degrees of freedom of movement. The compact motors may be a part of robot joints and seems to use vibration and brushes. Another video below the fold is a sonic motor that uses a reverse-piezo effect.
Today, a vehicle with a SMES battery would not have a good range. Although it might be interesting to see if it could replace capacitors to output energy more power quickly. The low torque output of sound-powered engines won't replace regular magnetic motors any time soon. I would really like to hear that test drive anyway. Who knows, if the sonic motor cars work out, you could ditch the battery altogether and get energy wirelessly through the air.
Related:
- Cool videos: air propelled train, personal street car
- Cool videos: street lamp electric bubble car, Disney's 1958 hovering solar car
- More details about the flywheel 'kinetic energy recovery system'
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sayyad Glassford 1:16PM (1/31/2008)
Take that spherical actuator, make it bigger and out of rubber, mount four of them in an Audi so that the rubber balls move but not the motor part, and we're one step closer to I Robot.
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Lascelles Linton 1:57PM (1/31/2008)
The ball wheels on the I, Robot concept was very cool :D The vertical parking was also cool. Here is a video of Will driving...
http://video.aol.com/video/movies-i-robot-clip-no-2/1142875
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KGround 11:27AM (2/01/2008)
Hmmm, sonic motor cars getting their energy from the air, an interesting idea ....
Does that mean I would have to follow one of those idiots driving a boombox-on-wheels to get my free energy ?
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Mark Goldes 12:56PM (2/01/2008)
Ultraconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (UMES) Advantages: Once polymer Ultraconductors are made into long wires, and assuming they sustain as expected, maintaining persistent currents, UMES are likely to perform at least as well as superconductors, only without the expensive and complex cryogenic cooling.
Some years ago, Magnetic Power, Inc. cooperated with a scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory who invented a technique of fabricating SMES eight feet in diameter that could be produced in a factory and easily transported to their ultimate location. Several could be linked together by utilities to provide whatever amount of energy storage was needed. This would allow base load power plants to run at constant speed all day and night with great economic and fuel saving advantages.
Vehicles equipped with MPI’s GENIE™ generators could employ UMES instead of ultracapacitors for peak loads. GENIE (Generating Electricity by Nondestructive Interference of Energy) will replace any need for batteries. The power grid could employ GENIE Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology, which would allow utilities to maximize their plant and distribution system efficiencies. Peaks and valleys of electric power demand would no longer be a major concern. See magneticpowerinc.com and www.ultraconductors.com for additional information.
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Jon Thurber 10:27PM (6/08/2008)
Take a look at these 2 links.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6KRxWEYCxo
http://sonic-dynamics.blogspot.com/
Sound can be used to run a generator!
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