Silicon nanowire could convert light into electrical energy
Nanoelectonic devices have to have juice too, and thanks to a team at Harvard University, extraordinarily minuscule gizmos of the future could be powered via a "silicon nanowire that can convert light into electrical energy." The device itself is said to look much like a typical coaxial cable, but it's around 100,000 times smaller and shuns metal in favor of "silicon with three different types of conductivity arranged as layered shells." Reportedly, a single strand can output "up to 200-picowatts," which won't move much, but it could be just enough to run ultralow power electronics that could be worn on, or even inside, the body. Hopefully they'll have this all ironed out by the time we need a pacemaker.[Image courtesy of Harvard]
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
David B. @ Oct 18th 2007 12:56AM
That's actually really exciting. We need power to run all the medical nanobots that are going to keep me moving long after mother nature has given me up for dead.
www.theskinofmyteeth.com
David B.
Balam Herrera @ Oct 18th 2007 1:09AM
Are you David Bowie?
wslcrew @ Oct 18th 2007 4:43AM
David Brent (from the office)?
Cycomachead @ Oct 18th 2007 1:14AM
What if they just increased the size (thickness) of the cable, then could it make more power? I'd make a pretty sleek cellphone charger!
BigD @ Oct 18th 2007 1:35AM
How exactly to they get light, if they are inside of your body?
Russell @ Oct 18th 2007 3:55AM
nanonuclear reactors powering nano light bulbs, obviously!
Matt @ Oct 18th 2007 9:07AM
yawn. they did this 20 years ago with light-powered calculators. ;-)
kmk @ Oct 18th 2007 11:13AM
Blue arrows turn green rods orange?
NanoGuy @ Oct 18th 2007 12:53PM
This could be a full stop to all of our energy problems. Is it possible to make super efficient solar panels ?