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Vibrational to Electric Energy
Name: Alex
Status: student
Grade: 9-12
Location: CA
Country: USA
Date: April 6, 2011
Question:
Before I am able to ask my question, I must provide some context to it. I am trying to design a jet pack for one of my ROP classes, and for the rotors (because I am taking inspiration from the Martin jet pack) I am thinking of using contra-rotating propellers similar to the Tu-95 "Bear" jet. Unfortunately, I am worried about how loud this will be, and so I am also trying to include sound-dampeners. Is it possible to take the vibrations being suppressed by these dampeners, convert it to electrical energy, and then store this into a battery?
Replies:
Alex, I hesitate to even answer this question given the extreme danger building an actual jet-pack could pose to you and people around you. I sincerely hope this is a theoretical exercise only.
However, it is possible to collect vibrations and convert them to electrical energy using piezoelectric materials. A piezoelectric material is one that converts physical forces to electrical currents, and this technology has been explored for capturing energy from waste vibrations. If you want to read more, do an internet search for 'piezoelectric energy harvesting'.
Hope this helps,
Burr Zimmerman
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Update: June 2012
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