Scavenger Technology Allows Robots to “Eat” Metal for Energy
- Magazine Article
- TBMG-37002
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Language:
- English
Topic:
When electronics need their own power sources, there are two basic options: batteries and harvesters. Batteries store energy internally but are therefore heavy and have a limited supply. Harvesters, such as solar panels, collect energy from their environments. This gets around some of the downsides of batteries but introduces new ones — they can only operate in certain conditions and can’t turn that energy into useful power very quickly.