WASHINGTON: Researchers at Columbia University have built a miniature car that draws on the process to propel itself along, as well as an evaporation-driven generator that powers a flashing LED lamp.
The inventions pave the way for a new generation of renewable devices that extract energy from evaporation. Ozgur Sahin, who led the research, said the machines were cheap and could draw energy from water as it evaporates from the surfaces of lakes and oceans.
The machines build on Sahin’s discovery that spores of common soil bacteria swell when they absorb water in humid environments and shrink when they release the water in drier air. In tests, scientists found the engine generated electricity to make LED bulb flash on and off. The machine could be used to power floating lights, or sensors on bottom of sea.
The scientists call their second invention a moisture mill. The machine has a plastic wheel covered with tapes that are coated with spores on one side.
Half of the wheel is kept in dry air, which causes the tabs to curl up soon, while the other half is in more humid air, which causes the tabs to straighten. The wheel spins around, and was powerful enough to drive a small toy car.GUARDIAN
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