Battery Project (Portable Power)-it's a whole new world of particle physics!

In 2007 I graduated with a bachelor's of science degree. The same year I entered a battery competition called the Wearable Power Prize competition. Wearable Power Prize 1 Million Dollar Prize. I saw it after an internet search and at the time I didn't know very much about batteries, so I thought, "why not?" At least I will learn something, which I did. I entered under the team name Mechanical Knight. The competition started out consisting of 167 teams competing for a 1 million dollar prize.

• The winning power system had to weigh less then 8.8 pounds and last for 4 days outputting 20 watts.

• I made it in to the final 20 by trying to create a hybrid between a super capacitor and a lithium ion battery. A power source that would last as long as a lithium ion polymer battery, but charge as fast as a super capacitor, that worked off of the prinicipal of electrostatics.
• Another approach I explored was a nitrogen/oxygen based fuel cell. But I was not able to get the funding to research this.

During the competition I was interviewed by the Associated Press and Bettina Chavanne of Aviation Week. Links to Aviation Week articles about me during the competition can be found at the following links, Power in the desert, Power in the desert part II, Lightweight Power.

Because I ended up ranking in the top 20, and from all the interest from different companies, I ended up getting a job with the Army out of it for a while, I have been continuing my research in portable power. I was very inspired by the competition and all the different approaches to solving the problem. I have continually worked and thought out of the box to come up with my latest approach. My latest idea and goal is to develop a portable power supply that runs off of the nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere.

• My latest idea

 

A power system about the size of a quarter the works off of the nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere. It will last as long the atmosphere and the materials last, which should be at least a few years for both. So, not perpetual motion. 

Also, it will supply power proportional to its size. I have hypothesized that a power supply the size of a quarter can supply approximately 300 mA of electricity that will not run out until the atmosphere does. Stack them in parallel or series and increase the power. It will work off of the same principals as a fuel and a sterling heat engine combining both.

The research I have done with sterling heat engine’s, capacitors, batteries, and fuel cells, indicate this will be possible with the right equipment. I plan to build a working prototype by the end of 2001 if I can get the right funding. So far I have successfully built a lithium ion battery and been involve with research with fuel cells. Combining the principals and existing technologies of a sterling heat engine, fuel cell, and lithium ion battery into one machine is the next step.

Keep checking back for updates and progress. Some people might say this won't work, but I think we are due for a new type of technology. According to Moore's law, the number of transistors that can be manufactured on an integrated circuit should double every 2 years, and indeed it has! People thought he was wrong when he said that in the early 70's. Well, it's about time that law get's applied to the rest of technology too.

We have had the same basic battery technology for about 100 years, sure things are smaller and fit together tighter. But if we want to make advances in power we are going to have to think out of the box and try things we have never tried before. Look at history, it has proven we can do things people thought were not possible countless times whenever we really make the effort! So, let's do it, let's make the effort to make some power!