 |
Tiny Atomic-Power Drive Unit
A very small power generator that is atomic powered. (Read the full article)
| "Oh we may well have them in time, and they do already exist in a form:
"Radio Isotope Generators" or RTGs are electricity generators that can have no moving parts. Commonly used as longterm batteries in space missions - they make energy from the heat difference between the hot internal radioactive isotope and the cooler outside of the device. Older ones use motionless thermocouple devices, but modern ones use Stirling engines, so they have moving parts, but even so NASA has some robust designs that need no maintenance for decades of continual use.
The thermocouple designs are making a comeback though with newer higher efficiency thermocouples.
So we may yet still have tiny AA sized atomic batteries that last for decades." (roid 2/23/2008 6:14:28 AM ) |
More info on Tiny Atomic-Power Drive Unit
Leave a comment:
Tediously, spammers have returned. So, send me your comments to bill at the site name (be sure to mention the page) and I'll post them. Thanks!
Current News Articles
LLM 'Cognitive Core' Now Evolving
'Their only check on the growth and development of Vulcan 3 lay in two clues: the amount of rock thrown up to the surface... and the amount of the raw materials and tools and parts which the computer requested.'
Has Elon Musk Given Up On Mars?
'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.'
Bacteria Turns Plastic Into Pain Relief? That Gives Me An Idea.
'I guess there's nobody round this table who doesn't have a Crosswell [tapeworm] working for him in the small intestine.'
When Your Child's Best Friend Is An AI
'Figments of his mind in one sense, of course, for he had shaped them...'
China's Drone Mothership Can Carry 100 Drones
'So the parent drone carries a spotter that it launches...'
Drones Recharge In Mid-Air Like Jets Refuel!
'...nurse drones that would cruise around dumping large amounts of power into randomly selected pods.'
Australian Authors Reject AI Training Of Llama
'It's done with a flip of the third joint of the tentacle on the down beat.'
Is China Mining Helium-3 On The Moon's Farside?
'...for months Grantline bores had dug into the cliff.'
Maybe It's Too Soon To Require Autonomous Mode
'I hope all those other cars are on automatic,' he said anxiously.
Is Agentic AI The Wrong Kind Of Smartness?
'It’s smart enough to go wrong in very complicated ways, but not smart enough to help us find out what’s wrong.'
Heat Waver - The First Ever Combo Solar Collector And Wind Turbine
'...like a spray of tulips mounted fanwise.'
Tesla 'Fleet Response Agents' Bolster FSD Autonomy
'You hate the whole idea that some bored drone pusher in a remote driving centre has got your life... in his hands.'
