Fuel Cell Robo?

Why is 20 hrs impressive? A fuel cell is a generator. It runs for as long as it has fuel.

Mitch Berkson

If it fits within the same package size and does not require anything to be added, that's very impressive (and very salable). A laptop typically runs out of 'steam' after a few hours. Not very nice when you have 20+ continous hours in airplane seats ahead of you..

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

Whereas the Casio prototype probably continues to emit sufficient steam to prevent you taking it on an airplane at all, not to mention the likely restrictions on taking a flask of methanol on board. :-)

Well, it's running longer than any common battery I know of. And what is the fuel ... water. How long will your robot run for running on common batteries? That's always a subject that always comes up here, what is the best battery to use... ummm you mean you want your robot to run for a long time and ni-cads run for a few hours.

just a stupid thought on my part I guess.

Yes it's been done a few times. The only example I can find a URL for at the moment is the Mendocino High School Science Club fuel cell robot which used a hydrogen fuel cell:

-Steve

If it's in the same space as the previous battery, I agree that's impressive. Are you sure the fuel is water - that would be even more impressive. On the other hand, if it could be refilled with vodka, that would also be useful on a plane.

Mitch Berkson

Mitch Berkson wrote: [snip]

I know _I_ occasionally need to be refilled with vodka on a long flight.

Umm, you can't use water as fuel - that's the old perpetual motion trap. Well, unless you've got some kind of nuclear fuel cell ;-)

On the subject of batteries, how big or powerful do they make Lithium-Ion batteries these days? I know a Li-Ion pack large enough to run a beefy robot, if it even existed, would be cost prohibitive to anyone without a serious research budget behind them, I'm just curious as to how much the technology has advanced. I do know that the ones that exist are just about the kings of all rechargable batteries at the moment - I got one for my remote control blimp the other day that could source up to 1.5 amp, store about 2.7 watt hours of energy, and weighed only 17 grammes, which was quite impressive, especially the energy to mass ratio.

The most popular fuel cell developments for laptops and cellphones is methanol/water, but water itself, as has been mentioned, will positively not work as a fuel- it's an ash from the combustion of a fuel.

Cheers!

Sir Charles W. Shults III, K. B. B. Xenotech Research