Cracking the Code for Crystal-Powered Super Spooks

Published: March 1, 2010Posted in: DEA, Featured Post, Featured Posts, Gadgets, Science!, intel, military

Imagine coming up with a way to power an iPod by converting the energy from walking or jogging into electricity. That’s the idea behind new nano-technology research funded by the U.S. intelligence community that could potentially turn spies into self-powered electricity machines. Professor Michael McAlpine of Princeton University — who won funding as part of the Intelligence Community Post-Doctoral Fellowship program — is leading the effort. His research uses a type of piezoelectric crystal, called PZT, which produces an electric current when exposed to pressure. Until now, researchers have been unsure how to make the crystals biocompatible. Manufacturing piezoelectric crystals requires heat that can exceed 1,000 degrees, so they’re tough to embed into temperature-sensitive materials, like rubber or plastic

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Cracking the Code for Crystal-Powered Super Spooks