This new device seems to pull electricity out of thin air
Illustration of a thin film of protein nanowires generating electricity from atmospheric humidity. (UMass Amherst/)An interdisciplinary team of scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has harnessed a common bacteria to make surprisingly strong electric currents—pretty much out of thin air. “Moisture actually contains a certain amount of electrical charge,” says study author Jun Yao, a professor of electrical engineering. He and his colleagues relied on that fact to create a device that attracts ambient vapors to produce electricity. They’re calling it the “Air-gen.” Their results, published on Friday in the journal Nature, could represent the first steps toward a method of power production far more environmentally friendly than traditional batteries, more consistent than wind energy, and more space-efficient than solar cells. But there’s a lot more work to be done before we get there.The project began two years ago, when electrical engineering grad student Xiaomeng Liu, who is part...