The Micro Windmill Mobile Charger

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.

[bc @ Feb 21st 2006 8:10AM]

hang it out your car window while driving and wheeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!! bleep

[Michelle @ Feb 21st 2006 8:12AM]

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.

[Mephistophelian @ Feb 21st 2006 8:22AM]

Why doesn't a phone manufacturer just put a small solar panel on the back of a phone?

[DaveHimself @ Feb 21st 2006 8:27AM]

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.

[Space @ Feb 21st 2006 8:36AM]

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...

[tgrove @ Feb 21st 2006 9:07AM]

this was just read on the bob and tom radio show!!

[marty @ Feb 21st 2006 9:16AM]

I like the portable hydroelectric dam idea better.

[Chris Coleman @ Feb 21st 2006 9:21AM]

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.

[marty @ Feb 21st 2006 9:24AM]

the crank up radios have cell phone charger attachments you plug into the back of the radio.

[blore40 @ Feb 21st 2006 9:47AM]

Keep the windmill near you mouth while talking on the cellphone and you've got yourself a perpetual motion machine.

[RoyalH @ Feb 21st 2006 10:04AM]

How long before a rough do-it-yourself equivalent shows up on Make?

[Fist Of Konshu @ Feb 21st 2006 10:13AM]

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.

[Timerider @ Feb 21st 2006 10:45AM]

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.

[christopher @ Feb 21st 2006 10:53AM]

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

[Evan Brom @ Feb 21st 2006 10:59AM]

I can see myself holding this and spinning in circles or breathing too much to get it to work.

[Tulio @ Feb 21st 2006 11:04AM]

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.

[nizzy1115 @ Feb 22nd 2006 12:29AM]

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.

[BizarreBeanies @ Feb 22nd 2006 7:27AM]

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?

[buttbutt @ Feb 22nd 2006 10:40AM]

I know the perfect person in the office to stick this in front of. Might as well put them to some use.

[Tarun @ Apr 6th 2006 3:27PM]

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

[oliverou @ Dec 25th 2006 7:02AM]

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[maryam zeidi @ May 20th 2007 4:00AM]

Surfing through Internet to select a suitable & exclusive gift for the participants of the congress to be held on 12th June.2007 from our office named NovoNord darou, I am so interested in your products especially the mobile charger appropriate for all mobile models carved with our company name.

Would you kindly send us your quotation that you can provide by the end of May. Please quote the C&F price. Payment is normally made by letter of credit.

Thank you in advance for your kind cooperation.


Yours Faithfully,
Maryam Zeidi

[Arodudu Ayobami @ Apr 21st 2008 5:41AM]

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 [phone] or email me at [e-mail] I am expecting

thanks

Regards
Arodudu Ayobami

[Read @ May 12th 2008 2:37AM]

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
[e-mail]

SKYPE: sinoboy1983

[readyan_bokoda @ May 12th 2008 2:38AM]

My factory specializing in this business, could you tell me your email address so I can send you our catalogue ?

Read Yan

The sales

[nand singh @ Nov 12th 2008 8:08AM]

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.

[Peter Sang @ Jul 21st 2008 9:33AM]

I would like to make project for school please send me the details if that is possible.Thank you.