The Micro Windmill Mobile Charger
By Evan Blass 
posted February 21st 2006 8:00AM
posted February 21st 2006 8:00AM
How many times have you been out
and about when your cellphone dies, and there you are without a spare battery, disposable battery, travel charger, car
charger, solar charger, or Eton phone-charging emergency
radio? Well if Indian grad student NV Satyanarayana has his way, we'll soon have yet another charging device to
leave at home when we need it most, the Micro
Windmill Mobile Charger. This tiny collection of tubines converts wasted wind into useful talk time (a la certain Japanese
taxis) with blades just 5-centimeters long, and is also said to be capable of charging laptops, portable game
consoles, and DAPs. So far the MWMC is still in the development stage, but if you start seeing an unusual number of
people walking around wearing propeller beanies with cables snaking down their faces, you'll know that this device has
made it stateside.
hang it out your car window while driving and wheeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!! bleep
I wonder if one holds this out of the car window, if it will charge the phone faster as you increase speed.
Charge my phone in 10 minutes at 120mph. Nice.
Why doesn't a phone manufacturer just put a small solar panel on the back of a phone?
Hey Engadget, you guys are doing that thing again where you mock the hell out of an ingenious idea instead of considering its potential. To comment 1... yes would't it be nice to be the one guy on the road trip who never has to wait to charge his mp3 player.
If hes got a patent or even just some business savy I bet NV Satyanarayana could land a nice deal with boat/yacht builder.
And when do we most often lose power? When there is alot of wind.
I guess you guys have decided to handle the funny and leave the tech reporting up to us. If I see anyone wearing a propellar beanie with drool running down their faces I will asume they write for Engadget. (see kids, smart AND funny) Still love you E.
This might be useful when you're on foot, running out of power in the wilderness...
But forget about using it in the car! Doesn't your car have a cigarette lighter for you to plug it in? It's easier and more efficient...
this was just read on the bob and tom radio show!!
I like the portable hydroelectric dam idea better.
I thought about the car window thing too...then I wondered why the hell anybody would do that when they're in a car, you know, where you can just *plug it in.*
One of those little crank things like they stick on radios in third world countries would be nice. Somebody's got to be able to make something like that small enough.
the crank up radios have cell phone charger attachments you plug into the back of the radio.
Keep the windmill near you mouth while talking on the cellphone and you've got yourself a perpetual motion machine.
How long before a rough do-it-yourself equivalent shows up on Make?
Dave come on.
"when do we most often lose power? When there is alot of wind"
I usually lose power when I am out at a customer site. Not much wind going through there. So what am I supposed to do then. Run down the halls with my windmill in my hand. Um no. I built myself a cheap 9v usb battery. Much more reliable. Even the crank one I can see as more practical than this.
About the car thing: It is pretty pointless to stick it out a car window when you could plug it in, what about out a train window?
And about the solar panel on a cell phone, a company made solar batteries a long time ago for the Nokia 5100 type phones and the Motorola StarTac.
cross-marketing potential is huge for automakers: hook it up to your cold-air intake, you get a TORNADO VORTEX supershot of swirly air making your car super efficient, increased gas mileage, 50 extra HP, AND a fully-charged cellphone. my god, it'll be bigger than satellite radio.
-C
I can see myself holding this and spinning in circles or breathing too much to get it to work.
You could get this custom fitted to the front of your car and have this be your all time car charger. Could this work for ipods as well.
If this was the case, you could have a handful of them to charge you car battery while you drive.
What happened to regular car chargers for the car charging? I'm pretty sure this guy wants this to be a little more useful than that. How about for back packers/campers/wildernes folks. Its most likely intended for people that will be away from cars and buildings. I just dont know how much a little windmill could actually power. Big ones hardly do anything, i can't amagine what this would do.
Wow! I can see a whole new set of possibilities: making heavy breathing calls (huh huh huh i want to ) while recharging the phone (caller ID off), recharging while jogging, recharging while skydiving... where's a good VC when you need one?
I know the perfect person in the office to stick this in front of. Might as well put them to some use.
This is fantastic.Pls send me a direct contact - phone number and email address of the marketers of this MWMC. I run a marketing consultancy firm and I am interested in doing business big time or call me on +234 083 380 3986 or email me at blackarrowone@yahoo.co.uk.Pls I am expecting
thanks
Regards
Arodudu Ayobami
We are a factory specializing in this business. If any of you interested in this kind of products, you can talk to me directly, my email is
readyan_bokoda@yahoo.cn
SKYPE: sinoboy1983
My factory specializing in this business, could you tell me your email address so I can send you our catalogue ?
Read Yan
The sales
please send your catalogue on this e-mail address. I am interested in such items which are very useful for villages wherein electricity is not available.
Hello sir, My email Id is palanisamy2k@gmail.com. I am in india(tamilnadu). Please tell me how can i purchase your product along with the catalogue. Thank you.
I would like to make project for school please send me the details if that is possible.Thank you.
hehe ... i like bikes more than cars ... and i'd attach maybe 30 or 40 of these on my bike ... whooo hooo ... bring on the power baby ... i'll probably electrocute myself ... :D ... hahaha ... sorry, i know this guy is very environment conscious
nice idea however, we just need to find the right application. and hey, try folding wings. make it more portable, you never know when u might hit the right patent and make you a millionaire :D
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