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3D-printed wind turbine puts 300W of power in your backpack
2014 Aug 18, 2:23am 1,539 views 9 comments
by zzyzzx follow (9)
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MisdemeanorRebel
2014 Aug 18, 2:27am
... when the prototype is built and gets anything like 300W in 15mph winds, let me know.
zzyzzx
2014 Aug 18, 2:36am
when the prototype is built and gets anything like 300W in 15mph winds, let me know.
I know. I was wondering why, for example, you couldn't put like 10 of these on your house.
Tenpoundbass
2014 Aug 18, 2:49am
3D printing is a waste. It's only good for prototyping. Once you have a model, you can then create a mold. Then you use extrusion and injection to create as many analogs as you want when ever you want. Every time you print a part on the 3D printer, it's one more moving part away from wearing out.
MisdemeanorRebel
2014 Aug 18, 3:16am
I know. I was wondering why, for example, you couldn't put like 10 of these on your house.
Yeah, it would pretty much run the majority of a household's energy needs. Only time you'd need to use the utility was to run the A/C or Washing Machine.
MisdemeanorRebel
2014 Aug 18, 3:17am
. Every time you print a part on the 3D printer, it's one more moving part away from wearing out.
It costs about $30 to 3D print something inferior to a 3 cent Happy Meal Toy.
New Renter
2014 Aug 18, 3:55am
I know. I was wondering why, for example, you couldn't put like 10 of these on your house.
Yeah, it would pretty much run the majority of a household's energy needs. Only time you'd need to use the utility was to run the A/C or Washing Machine.
Ideally the utility would operate as a giant battery, absorbing excess energy say at night and while the house is unoccupied and provide extra power when needed.
Tenpoundbass
2014 Aug 18, 4:45am
It costs about $30 to 3D print something inferior to a 3 cent Happy Meal Toy.
When the iPod first came out, I have never been a fan of 16bit audio. And the thought of music even lower quality than CDs as the norm. Because it was dispensed by a nifty popular (At the time) status symbol, people were perfectly willing to accept a degraded crappy Audio format.
I likened it to, a paper rain coat dispenser. The rain coats would be unless in the rain. But it would still be hot seller, because it's so cool to generate limitless raincoats at the press of a button, from a device the size of a zippo lighter.
Peter P
2014 Aug 18, 4:48am
When the iPod first came out, I have never been a fan of 16bit audio. And the thought of music even lower quality than CDs as the norm. Because it was dispensed by a nifty popular (At the time) status symbol, people were perfectly willing to accept a degraded crappy Audio format.
I had high hopes for SACD. Oh well...
http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/17/airenergy-3d-wind-turbine/
For the most part, portable energy generators are intended for modest uses. They can charge your phone, but they won't drive high-powered laptops or small appliances. That might change if Omni3D gets its crowdfunded AirEnergy 3D off the ground. The 3D-printed wind turbine should fit into a backpack, yet produce up to 300W of power -- enough that you can keep a whole slew of devices running, including those that wouldn't run at all on solar or thermoelectric systems. It will be open source, too, since part of the goal is to let those in Africa and other developing regions create their own reliable, renewable power sources.
If you want to help out and get one of the first AirEnergy 3D models when it arrives in February, you'll need to act fast. Omni3D is only offering a handful of early units to those who pledge £290 ($484) or more. Take heart if you're not part of the first wave, though. The team expects to bring the cost of a basic production model down to $350, which is just cheap enough that it could either supplement your home power or keep your gadgets alive during long camping trips.