If you have ever wondered when someone will develop a power source that will run a laptop for more than a few hours without recharging? If so, get a load of this…
Alan Epstein, a professor in the aeronautics and astronautics department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has figured out a way to run a laptop using jet engine technology.
Epstein noted, “I’d been thinking about how to build small jet engines, and it was the realization that there’s a threshold, that if you could make them really small, then the price can come way down.”
Apparently, $30 million in funding from the American military combined with cutting edge microelectromechanical systems technology can build you a jet engine the size of a quarter.
“Imagine a sandwich of six silicon wafers bonded together and you’ve got the idea. Each wafer is etched, so when they’re put together, the resulting spaces between them can perform all of the necessary functions.”
Combined with a fuel source (possibly butane) one could expect a laptop to run in excess of 30 hours. Just how long would depend on the amount of fuel available.
Epstein believes that consumer products using tiny gas turbine engines could be on the market within five years, however, the real benefit of this technology could be seen in military applications and space exploration. To learn more, check out the Toronto Star article.
I don’t know how practical (and safe) it will be to run our consumer electronics using a highly flammable colorless, odorless, liquefied gas – but it is certainly an interesting concept.
