Viruses used to power tiny device

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MrFlyingAmoeba
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Viruses used to power tiny device

#1 Post by MrFlyingAmoeba »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18074644

The researchers built a generator with a postage stamp-sized electrode and based on a small film of specially engineered viruses.

When a finger tapped the electrode, the viruses converted the mechanical energy into electricity.

:potatoes: ...Woah.
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Re: Viruses used to power tiny device

#2 Post by judah4 »

Now, if we could pave roads with it...

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Re: Viruses used to power tiny device

#3 Post by cliffpanther »

We could use it in the tires of our cars! That'd significantly reduce the gasoline usage, and the electric/hybrid cars would become much more independent from solar power and petrol stations with electrical distributors. We could reuse much of the energy that we currently lose on friction, braking, air resistance...
But we shouldn't go too enthusiastic. Piezoelectric generators are nothing new. This technology is very promising, but it certainly needs improving. I wonder what the limits of those viruses are... Because 400mV/6nA isn't enough to power a car. Or even an electric toothbrush x3
It surely is a good direction. Biotechnology gives us amazing opportunities to develop "stuff". It might take some time till it's good enough... But the first computer was less powerful than today's pocket calculator! Can't wait to see the first calculators powered by those generators!

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Re: Viruses used to power tiny device

#4 Post by Kinuki »

http://io9.com/5909877/genetically-engi ... s-possible

It makes sense to use biological matter to create nanoscale devices as life practically is nanotech and has an edge in abilities and energy efficiency due to millions of years of evolution.
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Re: Viruses used to power tiny device

#5 Post by TinyVoices »

Obvious issues aside (like if the tech powers your computer, then what happens when you are not typing? And how long can these viruses live in this environment, before the generator can no longer work?) this looks shiny. Now, how could this tech play a key role in finding new energy sources? I mean, research is being done, and it holds plenty of promise. Less than 30 years from now? We could find a reliable generator that generates it's own power source, while giving us usable power in return. Some present day examples might come into people's minds, which I may not know of, but I mean like a compressor or something that pushes these electrodes, which then power the compressors and a city. Infinite loop, so long as you can keep replacing the electrodes with net energy gained.

The next few decades hold some major advances for humanity. Even if I die before we discover a way to surpass the speed of light, like in the Ender series or something, my grandchildren will probably treat it like today's 6 year olds with Ipads.

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Re: Viruses used to power tiny device

#6 Post by cliffpanther »

TinyVoices wrote:Obvious issues aside (like if the tech powers your computer, then what happens when you are not typing? And how long can these viruses live in this environment, before the generator can no longer work?) this looks shiny. Now, how could this tech play a key role in finding new energy sources? I mean, research is being done, and it holds plenty of promise. Less than 30 years from now? We could find a reliable generator that generates it's own power source, while giving us usable power in return. Some present day examples might come into people's minds, which I may not know of, but I mean like a compressor or something that pushes these electrodes, which then power the compressors and a city. Infinite loop, so long as you can keep replacing the electrodes with net energy gained.

The next few decades hold some major advances for humanity. Even if I die before we discover a way to surpass the speed of light, like in the Ender series or something, my grandchildren will probably treat it like today's 6 year olds with Ipads.
Exceeding the speed of light is something we won't see for thousands of years, if not more. We would have to deal with the effects of Einstein's Relativity theory - time would stop for the traveller at the speed of light, and could possibly run backwards when he exceeds it. I'd sooner expect finding a way to shorten the distance (multi-dimensional space and using wormholes, folding our space in the 4th spatial dimension like you can fold a sheet of paper using the 3rd).
Exceeding the speed of light isn't something we'd even want to achieve. It could cause various paradoxes...
I vote for wormholes!
And when you're not typing - well, it could be a parallel source of energy. It wouldn't completely eliminate the need of external power source - I don't think we could power up a 500W Graphics card with fingers - but our bills would be lower. Still, it's a long way till this invention becomes useful for our society. At least 10 years.

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Re: Viruses used to power tiny device

#7 Post by TheDragonfiend »

TinyVoices wrote:We could find a reliable generator that generates it's own power source, while giving us usable power in return.
This is called an "Over-unity machine" and while its great on paper thanks to the laws of physics is impossible... Why because when you convert energy it will never be 100% efficient meaning the power source for the generator slowly goes down as does its output... At most we can use this kind of setup (generator looping back into itself) to extend a power source (it takes longer for the energy to go down) but depending on the usage you would actually see a drop in power life...

Tl;dr not possible unless we beat the crap out of physics
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Re: Viruses used to power tiny device

#8 Post by Insomniac »

TinyVoices wrote:The next few decades hold some major advances for humanity. Even if I die before we discover a way to surpass the speed of light, like in the Ender series or something, my grandchildren will probably treat it like today's 6 year olds with Ipads.
They didn't have FTL in Ender's Game, they had NLS (Near-Light Speeds), or Relativistic Speeds.
TheDragonfiend wrote:
TinyVoices wrote:We could find a reliable generator that generates it's own power source, while giving us usable power in return.
This is called an "Over-unity machine" and while its great on paper thanks to the laws of physics is impossible... Why because when you convert energy it will never be 100% efficient meaning the power source for the generator slowly goes down as does its output... At most we can use this kind of setup (generator looping back into itself) to extend a power source (it takes longer for the energy to go down)
Ah, like the way the Pillar of Autumn's MAC cannon could fire three times at once?
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Re: Viruses used to power tiny device

#9 Post by cliffpanther »

TheDragonfiend wrote: This is called an "Over-unity machine" and while its great on paper thanks to the laws of physics is impossible... Why because when you convert energy it will never be 100% efficient meaning the power source for the generator slowly goes down as does its output... At most we can use this kind of setup (generator looping back into itself) to extend a power source (it takes longer for the energy to go down) but depending on the usage you would actually see a drop in power life...

Tl;dr not possible unless we beat the crap out of physics
Agreed. Superconductors solve the problem of resistance and energy loss in electronic circuits. But we'll never be able to create energy from nothing. Unless we find a way to use the so-called Zero Point energy - that is, the minimal amount of energy that always exists in a given point. The ZP energy is the reason we can't freeze hydrogen - even at temperatures infinitely close or equal to 0K (Absolute 0, approx. -273*C).
But I have no idea whether that kind of "extraction" is possible, even in theory.
Right now, I think the most convenient way of generating energy is nuclear fusion. This project looks promising: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8485669.stm
A matter of (not too many) years till we see first commercial reactors.

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Re: Viruses used to power tiny device

#10 Post by Sebbie »

cliffpanther wrote:The ZP energy is the reason we can't freeze hydrogen - even at temperatures infinitely close or equal to 0K (Absolute 0, approx. -273*C).
But I have no idea whether that kind of "extraction" is possible, even in theory.
Did you mean helium? Hydrogen can indeed freeze if you take it to low enough temperatures, because there are relatively strong van der Waals' forces in hydrogen. At atmospheric temperature, helium won't freeze even at absolute zero (although it will freeze at higher pressures).

Also, there seems to be a lot of talk of things that are physically impossible in this thread...I may have to crack down on some of these theories :P
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Re: Viruses used to power tiny device

#11 Post by Kinuki »

Finally, the evil plan revealed!

"Reality has a well-known liberal bias." - Stephen Colbert

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Re: Viruses used to power tiny device

#12 Post by cliffpanther »

Sebbie wrote:
cliffpanther wrote:The ZP energy is the reason we can't freeze hydrogen - even at temperatures infinitely close or equal to 0K (Absolute 0, approx. -273*C).
But I have no idea whether that kind of "extraction" is possible, even in theory.
Did you mean helium? Hydrogen can indeed freeze if you take it to low enough temperatures, because there are relatively strong van der Waals' forces in hydrogen. At atmospheric temperature, helium won't freeze even at absolute zero (although it will freeze at higher pressures).

Also, there seems to be a lot of talk of things that are physically impossible in this thread...I may have to crack down on some of these theories :P
My bad. You're 100% right.
So it's not possible. Great links btw, thank you!

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Re: Viruses used to power tiny device

#13 Post by avwolf »

I really enjoyed this link on Vacuum or Zero Point energy. It explains in a bit more depth why ZPE is woo.
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Re: Viruses used to power tiny device

#14 Post by TinyVoices »

Insomniac wrote:
TinyVoices wrote:The next few decades hold some major advances for humanity. Even if I die before we discover a way to surpass the speed of light, like in the Ender series or something, my grandchildren will probably treat it like today's 6 year olds with Ipads.
They didn't have FTL in Ender's Game, they had NLS (Near-Light Speeds), or Relativistic Speeds.
Well, they had that for most of the series, but I believe I was also talking about what the main cast did thanks to Jane later in the series. Which I suppose isn't even "moving", though, so it wouldn't have been "moving faster" than anything. They just basically created instantaneous travel. Another example is like in "A Wrinkle in Time", where they just [censored] with physics to get from point A to B in as fast as you could imagine you were there.

I suppose if I could choose between how they did it in Ender, or in Wrinkle, I'd have to probably pick Wrinkle, though. Both have cons, of course. (In Ender you need a sentient super-duper computer, and you need to clear your mind entirely while in that creation dimension. In Wrinkle you need witches, and you could end up in the wrong dimension entirely. :P ) But at least in Wrinkle you don't risk creating physical manifestations of your childhood devil and totally-platonic-not-incest-lover. You just risk going insane from all the da-[censored] moments. :grin:
TheDragonfiend wrote:This is called an "Over-unity machine" and while its great on paper thanks to the laws of physics is impossible...
Oh yeah, huh... Well, maybe someday we'll find something that'll sort of get past this nicely. I almost want to say we've done a lot of other things deemed impossible, too. Just... not quite the way they were deemed impossible.

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