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Plastic Motor Powered By Direct Light
By nikkita | July 24, 2008
Professor Tomiki Ikeda of Japan’s Tokyo Institute of Technology and his research team have created the first plastic motor to run off of ultraviolet and visible light. This is not to be confused with solar, where light is converted into energy. We’re talking power from direct light! The motor is made of a shape-shifting elastic polymer that can change shape to accommodate the wavelength of the exposed light. For example, the plastic is wrapped as a belt around two wheels of two different sides. The smaller wheel is exposed to uv light, which causes the plastic to contract. The bigger wheel is then exposed to visible light, causing the polymer to expand back to its original size. All of this activity causes the wheels to spin, with no stored energy, just light. While this technology cannot power vehicles (YET) there are high hopes for future development.
Topics: Environment, Geek, Tech, Vehicular | No Comments »
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