Researchers at the Stanford Research Institute International in California have developed a novel mechanism using electroactive muscles to generate electricity from ocean waves.
These muscles are made from electroactive polymers, a material that can be physically activated with a jolt of electricity. These muscles are attached to buoys where they produce electricity. The power output from these generators is not as much as desired however they hold a bright future.
Electroactive Polymer Artificial Muscles or EPAMs are thought of as a key technology that will be used in next-gen robots and other machinery. The technique makes use of several sheets of specialized rubber sandwiched between two elastic and oppositely charged electrodes. When an electric charge is applied to the electrodes they squeeze the rubber and when the current is withdrawn, the rubber relaxes.
Researchers have just reversed the technique and they use ocean tides to do the stretching and relaxing jobs leading to a potential difference between the two electrodes. With a 0.8-meter wave, each stretch of the muscle can generate as much as 20 watts of power, since the waves tend to come about every four seconds the net output is 5 watts.
A single machine cannot be the answer to energy crisis however if hundreds and thousands of these machines are floated in the ocean they can generate enough electricity to power several homes and that too without any adverse effects.
Via: New Scientist Tech
