Oh yes, African scientists should wake up - discoveries are on the move in other parts of our planet!!! Just imagine, a self-powering cell phone that never needs to be charged because it converts sound waves produced by the user into the energy it needs to keep running. A professor, Tahir Cagin, in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, utilised materials known in scientific circles as "piezoelectrics." This scientist, whose research focuses on nanotechnology, has made a significant discovery in the area of power harvesting – a field that aims to develop self-powered devices that do not require replaceable power supplies, such as batteries. Specifically, he and his partners from another university have found that a certain type of piezoelectric material can covert energy at a 100 percent increase when manufactured at a very small size – in this case, around 21 nanometers in thickness. His findings, which are detailed in an article published in "Physical Review B," the scientific journal of the American Physical Society, could have potentially profound effects for low-powered electronic devices such as cell phones, laptops, personal communicators and a host of other computer-related devices used by everyone from the average consumer to law enforcement officers and even soldiers in the battlefield. Many of these high-tech devices contain components that are measured in nanometers – a microscopic unit of measurement representing one-billionth of a meter. Atoms and molecules are measured in nanometers, and a human hair is about 100,000 nanometers wide.
Mr. Abbas, you have raised the issue at stake by asking our African leaders to rise to the expectation, but, first of all, we here in Africa, particularly in Nigeria have not yet understood the basic meaning of life. Look at your corner, I believe you will see people struggling for food and shelter! Is it not better for us embark on eradicating illiteracy completely from our mids before we call the so-called African leaders to come to our aid?
These African leaders, are themselves not yet free from the shackle of colonialism. Their only thinking is how to steal public fund and lodge it into their account. I think it is better to institute a community base schools, from Primaries to universities free of charge, where common man would be given the opportunity to be educated. This is possible if only we can educate our youngs Islamically, we can also do the same, I mean to employ the same method to educate our youngs. I will insha'Allah be the first to start.
Quote from: Abbas Bubakar El-ta'alu on December 28, 2008, 07:32:49 AM
Oh yes, African scientists should wake up - discoveries are on the move in other parts of our planet!!! Just imagine, a self-powering cell phone that never needs to be charged because it converts sound waves produced by the user into the energy it needs to keep running. A professor, Tahir Cagin, in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, utilised materials known in scientific circles as "piezoelectrics." This scientist, whose research focuses on nanotechnology, has made a significant discovery in the area of power harvesting – a field that aims to develop self-powered devices that do not require replaceable power supplies, such as batteries. Specifically, he and his partners from another university have found that a certain type of piezoelectric material can covert energy at a 100 percent increase when manufactured at a very small size – in this case, around 21 nanometers in thickness. His findings, which are detailed in an article published in "Physical Review B," the scientific journal of the American Physical Society, could have potentially profound effects for low-powered electronic devices such as cell phones, laptops, personal communicators and a host of other computer-related devices used by everyone from the average consumer to law enforcement officers and even soldiers in the battlefield. Many of these high-tech devices contain components that are measured in nanometers – a microscopic unit of measurement representing one-billionth of a meter. Atoms and molecules are measured in nanometers, and a human hair is about 100,000 nanometers wide.
Kamilu Abbas's post didn't ask african leaders to develop such a marvellous device,he tasked the african scientists.
This is an excellent discovery. If power can be generated with such a small size of a piezo material then i'm sure one day a bigger one could be used to generate even more power.
Piezo materials i believe are materials such as quartz and even bone that are able to generate electric potential when a stressed.
You know in reality energy is supposed to be free,it is just left for us to discover how to utilize the free energy or convert it to a usable way.
The concept of free energy is a conspracy theory on its own. Some people believe that some strong bodies are against the propagation of the concept of free energy these bodies go to the extent of eliminating anyone that dicovers the real concept.
So Mr abbas please follow up on the researcher and see if he survives to complete this marvellous work.
Malam Kamilu, Gogan naka saved me of time to just made some clarifications on your understanding of my post. As of other things you made mention of, like instituting free community based education in schools, from Primary level to the university one, I would want to say that, many aspects in Nigeria are not all that encouraging. The country is in a mess, in a desperate situation, and only desparate measures can help us out, and you would then find out that majority of our problems (may they be socio-economic or otherwise), would take care of themselves automatically.
I want to ask you, Mallam Kamilu, would you mind expantiating and expliciting on what you mean by "our African leaders are themselves not free from the shackle of colonialism?"
really, i believe that i can see that phone, this will be good and nice,how much that cell phone?
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Thanks a lot Mallam Abbas for an interesting and informative post! As a renewable energy enthusiast myself I find this totally mind-boggling! Finally, noise will have some use! imagine how much energy you can generate in a typical market or gareji! Maybe in our lifetime, we'll see this wonderful revolution take place. Of course, the initial cost will be high - until some Taiwanese reverse-engineers the whole thing. Even then, the cost will be justified for many applications. Good food for thought...