MicroDevice
Latest
Researchers create micro-battery with 3D printer (video)
We often hear about the coming nanobot revolution, but just how are scientists planning on powering these future marvels? Well, researchers from Harvard and the University of Illinois may have found the solution in a 3D-printed battery: it's smaller than a grain of sand, yet has areal energy and power densities comparable to your cellphone battery. The team used a custom 3D printer with a 1mm wide nozzle to deposit two separate lithium metal oxide pastes into comb-like shapes, which then hardened to create an anode and cathode. After adding an electrolyte, a sub-hair-width cell was created with "performance comparable to commercial batteries in terms of charge and discharge rate, cycle life and energy densities." Those could someday wind up in medical devices, wearable electronics or tiny flying drones, for instance. To see how they did it, check the video after the break.
New micromotor enslaves bacteria for micro power
So, it's not going to power your car anytime soon, but a new micromotor developed by Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology could have all sorts of potential other than lugging our lazy asses around town. The new motor measures a mere 20-microns in diameter, with 6 blades that each have a foot sitting in a 0.5-micron deep groove sketched in silicon. The groove and the feet are treated with some proteins that cause bacteria in the trench to move in a certain direction -- horse and carrot style. Researchers are banking on the tech to power microdevices of the future, including micromachines and miniature pumps for medical purposes. We're just proud to be members of a human race that has brought even micron-sized bacteria under its iron rule.
