One of the biggest problems facing this planet is how to get the energy we need
at an affordable environmental and economic cost. If you agree, here's the most
promising source you've never heard of- shape memory alloy (SMA) heat engines.
Dr. Johnson's Clean Heat Engine is
- An exciting demonstration of basic physics
- Interesting and fun
- A demonstration of MuscleWireŽ Shape Memory Alloy
- Relevant- it's a way to extract clean energy from low-grade heat
- Simple and easy to use
All you need to operate it is some hot water and some cold water!
Why is the heat engine important?
First, it's interesting and informative. If you understand how this works, you understand something about gears, and pulleys, and shape memory alloys, and bearings and friction.
Second, it's fun to watch. You can show it to their friends and impress them with your understanding.
It demonstrates a technology that's not quite here today, but will be here tomorrow. Imagine thousands of these, bigger, out in the desert or floating in the ocean, or even on your roof at home pumping out clean cheap electricity.
We can't do it today. But we and many others are working on it! You see it today, and you may well depend on it tomorrow.
