I was in the local library today and browsing the magazine rack and saw a short article on a device designed to produce small amounts of electricity cheaply and highly efficiently, for use in third world countries.
The guy who designed it was actually working from the idea of how some bridges have collapsed when they start rocking in storms setting up ...well whatever it is harmonics, vibrations, you engineers should know I guess.
Anyway it's extremely simple. It's a membrane (not sure what material, but since it's suppose to be cheap for people without electricity it can't be much more than rubber or similar) stretched tightly, like a drum head maybe. Magnets are attached to the middle and when the membrane vibrates between coils, it produces electricty, caused by as little as 10mph of wind --it is claimed to be up to 30 percent more efficient than the best microturbines.
The online magazine is here, but I didn't see the article in the online version (though I didn't do more than a brief look)
Popular Mechanics
Of course, I was thinking more along the lines of a potential charging source, not actual delivery power while e-biking.
If nothing else, I thought it was interesting, if not of practical use.
The guy who designed it was actually working from the idea of how some bridges have collapsed when they start rocking in storms setting up ...well whatever it is harmonics, vibrations, you engineers should know I guess.
Anyway it's extremely simple. It's a membrane (not sure what material, but since it's suppose to be cheap for people without electricity it can't be much more than rubber or similar) stretched tightly, like a drum head maybe. Magnets are attached to the middle and when the membrane vibrates between coils, it produces electricty, caused by as little as 10mph of wind --it is claimed to be up to 30 percent more efficient than the best microturbines.
The online magazine is here, but I didn't see the article in the online version (though I didn't do more than a brief look)
Popular Mechanics
Of course, I was thinking more along the lines of a potential charging source, not actual delivery power while e-biking.
If nothing else, I thought it was interesting, if not of practical use.