MIT Secretly Built Mega-Efficient Nano Batteries 195
mattnyc99 writes "There was plenty of chatter last week about an MIT announcement that researcher Angela Belcher had developed a way to create virus-based nanoscale batteries to power mini gadgets of the future. In a fascinating followup at Popular Mechanics, Belcher now says that her unpublished work includes full-scale models of the batteries themselves, and that they could power everything from cars and laptops to medical devices and wearable armor. Quoting: 'We haven't ruled out cars. That's a lot of amplification. But right now the thing is trying to make the best material possible, and if we get a really great material, then we have to think about how do you scale it.'"
Pfff (Score:2, Funny)
I have a virus (Score:3, Funny)
What could go wrong? (Score:5, Funny)
Good thing bacteria can't infect anything...
Of course, now I'll have to worry about my batteries getting a Staph infection:
"Doctor, I need some Vancomycin for my laptop."
Re:Efficiency? (Score:2, Funny)
Yeah, it would be a miracle if they were even hepto-efficient. Mega-efficient is right out! The best we can hope for is deca-efficient.
Re:What could go wrong? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Efficiency? (Score:5, Funny)
and they haven't actually built anything yet, except full scale models (whatever that means).
Creating 1:1 scale battery models is one of my hobbies. I find that tubes from toilet paper rolls work well as a base for models of D cells. Large drinking straws are a good starting point for AAA cells. Old laundry detergent boxes are great when you want to move to more advanced projects like automobile batteries.
Re:Make product (Score:4, Funny)
Come on. It's not THAT bad. They did do this in secret.
Well, until they went to the press...
Re:What could go wrong? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Uh, Popular Mechanics? Unpublished Work? (Score:5, Funny)
Robotic factories, robotic warehouses and Chinese peasants ARE doing all the work! The rest of us are sitting around in office blocks posting to slashdot.
Re:Make product (Score:4, Funny)
What's next? Adware Batteries? Free power, only you get to watch adds on your portable tv, or listen to ads on your radio... oh wait... never mind...
WAIT!... Let's call Eveready and Duracell say we are consultants from Symantec, Mcafee or Sophos and we are here to create a strategy to help them win in this market space. A virus based battery... let's push out a pattern for that one boys...
PROFIT!
Insensitive Clod! (Score:4, Funny)
01110010 01101111 01100010 01101111 01110100 01110011 00100000 01110000 01101111 01110011
01110100 00100000 01101111 01101110 00100000 01110011 01101100 01100001 01110011 01101000
01100100 01101111 01110100 00100000 01110100 01101111 01101111
EOF
Re:Uh, Popular Mechanics? Unpublished Work? (Score:5, Funny)
Slashdot is a poor substitute for Daiquiris, but the combination is a good idea. Cheers!
The key word here is "unpublished" (Score:4, Funny)
Publish it, get peer reviews and THEN post on Slashdot if reviewers don't tear it apart completely.
well (Score:1, Funny)
it's got electrolytes.
Re:Efficiency? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Efficiency? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:For the last fucking time... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:For the last fucking time...
Oh, good, that means you're gonna shut up about it now?
Re:Make product (Score:4, Funny)
Paraphrasing the original:
"Make a product or it never happened"
Re:Make product (Score:3, Funny)
I see them all the time, and generally they're followed by a few dozen posts complaining about slashvertisements....
Re:Make product (Score:4, Funny)
your lego battery wouldn't even work in theory.
I thought it was possible to make ANYTHING out of lego.
Re:Uh, Popular Mechanics? Unpublished Work? (Score:3, Funny)
You don't get Daiquiris where you work either, huh? Your job must suck as bad as mine. They want to stick us with kegs of Guiness here.
Re:Efficiency? (Score:2, Funny)
Obligatories (Score:5, Funny)
1) What could possibly go wrong?
2) Grow virus, Stir in cobalt oxide and gold, Add electrolyte, Invent cathode, ...,
PROFIT!
3) I for one welcome our new secretly developed, Army-funded, virus-based, electricity producing overlords.
4) But will it run Natalie Portman's vibrator?
Re:Obligatories (Score:5, Funny)
4) But will it run Natalie Portman's vibrator?
Everyone knows that Natalie Portman's vibrator runs on midiclorians!
Correction. (Score:3, Funny)
YOU may be in an office block, but *I* am in my parent's basement, with the rest of /.
Re:Obligatories (Score:5, Funny)
That's no vibrator...
Re:Efficiency? (Score:4, Funny)
Uh, they did? The article says they wrote a paper about their anodes and electrolytes (I expect the electrolyte isn't such a big deal).
So they made some viruses that are supposed to make little wires. Then they used the viruses to make some little wires. Then they wrote a paper. Then they worked on some more viruses to make some other wires that could be used as the other necessary component of a battery. And they're writing another paper.
That really sounds like pretty much how it's supposed to happen.
I think the poster was using a definition of secrecy along the lines of "not yet in Popular Mechanics." Now where did I park my secret car?
Re:Make product (Score:4, Funny)
Some projects require nano legos apparently.
Re:Make product (Score:3, Funny)
Apparently you have never observed legos under an electron microscope.
They are MADE of nano-legos.