Nuclear micro-battery
Encyclopedia
The new generation of swarm
and communicating devices will explore new approaches: supplying information using power supplies generated from the world of living organisms or ATP molecules (similar to living things), micro-internal combustion engine
s, or even nuclear micro-batteries which are far removed from conventional batteries.
Atomic engineers at the University of Wisconsin, Madison have explored the possibilities of producing minuscule batteries which exploit the decrease in the number of radioactive nuclei of substances such as polonium or curium to produce electric energy. As an example of an integrated, self-powered application, the researchers have created an oscillating cantilever beam that is capable of consistent, periodic oscillations over very long time periods without the need for refueling. Ongoing work demonstrate that this cantilever is capable of radio frequency transmission, allowing MEMS
devices to communicate with one another wirelessly.
These micro-batteries are very light and deliver enough energy to function as power supply for use in MEMS devices and further for supply for nanodevice
s.
The energy released through the decrease in the number of radioactive nuclei is transformed into electric energy, which is restricted to the area of the device that contains the processor
and the micro-battery that supplies it with energy.
Swarm intelligence
Swarm intelligence is the collective behaviour of decentralized, self-organized systems, natural or artificial. The concept is employed in work on artificial intelligence...
and communicating devices will explore new approaches: supplying information using power supplies generated from the world of living organisms or ATP molecules (similar to living things), micro-internal combustion engine
Combustion engine
Combustion engine may refer to:* Internal combustion engine* External combustion engine...
s, or even nuclear micro-batteries which are far removed from conventional batteries.
Atomic engineers at the University of Wisconsin, Madison have explored the possibilities of producing minuscule batteries which exploit the decrease in the number of radioactive nuclei of substances such as polonium or curium to produce electric energy. As an example of an integrated, self-powered application, the researchers have created an oscillating cantilever beam that is capable of consistent, periodic oscillations over very long time periods without the need for refueling. Ongoing work demonstrate that this cantilever is capable of radio frequency transmission, allowing MEMS
Microelectromechanical systems
Microelectromechanical systems is the technology of very small mechanical devices driven by electricity; it merges at the nano-scale into nanoelectromechanical systems and nanotechnology...
devices to communicate with one another wirelessly.
These micro-batteries are very light and deliver enough energy to function as power supply for use in MEMS devices and further for supply for nanodevice
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
s.
The energy released through the decrease in the number of radioactive nuclei is transformed into electric energy, which is restricted to the area of the device that contains the processor
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
and the micro-battery that supplies it with energy.