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General discussion

Go hamster power go!

by shmody Feb 16, 2009 11:30PM PST

Harnessing Hamster Power with a Nanogenerator
Researchers use a running rodent to test their device.
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/22103/
excerpt:
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The researchers' nanogenerator harnesses the piezoelectric effect--the way some crystalline materials produce an electrical potential when placed under mechanical stress. The team, led by Zhong Lin Wang, a professor of materials science and engineering at Georgia Tech, has been making generators using piezoelectric nanowires since 2005.
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so...how green and/or closed loop can this be? and...how many hamsters does it take to light up a light bulb?

Best,
Shalin