Power Lines used to deliver the power from power plants to your city and eventually to your home so you can plug in your electrical appliances leak electricity. This electricity or electro-magnetic energy, which leaks out is quite a lot and completely wasted. Since this energy is around these power lines it can be used to fly Miniature MAV or Micro Air Vehicles; picture a Mechanical Dragonfly or bee. A small MAV flying across the electromagnetic field in an “S” pattern along the power lines would have enough energy to fly indefinitely. You are saying; “Oh Really, Now?” Yes in fact it is possible, would you like to know how? If so I have a proposal for you.
I propose that we design micro air vehicles, which fly across the electromagnetic field coming off high-tension power lines. These units will fly at a speed, which corresponds to their weight and size. Strouhl and Reynolds numbers, flapping their wings for propulsion. The wings will have attached a small strip, which will be a polymer muscle with material memory. As the MAV flies along it will build up static electricity and will quickly reach a point that will cause a slight spark. Kind of like when you drag your feet against a carpet and get a shock. This will be the power stroke of down stroke of the flapping wings. The wings will then bounce back to the material manufactured memory and slightly past it then back to center to glide, where it will then begin to pick up more electromagnetic energy, which will then again be discharged again in a slight spark. You see?
Now then what can we use these little flying MAV organic replicas for? Well, how about traveling long distances for surveillance. You could easily have hundreds of these flying along with now apparent power source or fuel aboard, meaning you will have space and weight available for additional payload. Another thought was you could fly these little MAV for free to where ever you wanted them and then turn on a small motor to go the small distance which was away from the power lines. Anyway, put on your thinking cap and think on this concept?
“Lance Winslow” – If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance;
