A micro generator developed at Georgia Tech can produce enough power to run a cell phone, lasts 10 times longer than a battery, and may soon power a laptop.

Micros Managing

Following several years of research and development, the micro generator's inventors feel confident their motor can produce enough wattage to power a small electronic device.

"We can now get macro-scale power from a micro-scale device," said Georgia Tech electrical and computer engineering doctoral student David Arnold.

To produce electricity, the 10-millimeter-wide generator -- about the size of a dime -- spins a small magnet above a mesh of coils fabricated on a chip.

The micro-motor's magnet spins at 100,000 rpm, fast enough to produce 1.1 watts, enough power for a cell phone.

An average auto engine, in comparison, generates 3,000 revolutions per minute (rpm).

"If the project reaches its projected goal, it will eventually produce as much as 20 to 50 watts, capable of powering a laptop," Georgia Tech spokesperson Megan McRainey told NewsFactor.

Magnanimous Magnets

High-speed spinning creates centrifugal forces and friction that can break apart a comparatively delicate high-performance magnet, so the research team encased their magnets in a titanium alloy.

To test the fortified magneto, the researchers used an air-powered drill that simulated the spinning. Initial tests were successful, so they hope to increase speeds to generate more power.

Batteries of Batteries

The tiny turbine may represent a big advance in MEMS -- so-called "micro-electrical mechanical systems" -- by presenting the first real alternative to the scores of batteries consumer electronics retailers sell every year to power our technological age.

Instead of batteries that leak chemicals, die too soon, cost too much, and harm the environment, micro-engines will step in, MEMS researchers hope, to power everything from toys to telephones.

"This is an important step in the development of MEMS-based micro-power systems," said Georgia Tech electrical and computer engineering professor Mark Allen.

The Army Research Laboratory -- which helped fund the Georgia Tech MEMS project -- hopes to create lighter portable power sources, instead of heavy batteries, to power field equipment, such as laptops, radios and global positioning systems (GPS).

Developed in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology computer science professors Sauparna Das and Jeffrey Lang, the MEMS motor was unveiled at the International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems earlier this year.