Think solar powered Garmins are high tech? Think again.

NorthCascades
NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Dragon eggs can help scientists study violent natural processes in unprecedented detail, but for Tom Scott, a materials scientist at Bristol, volcanoes were just the beginning. For the past few years, Scott and a small group of collaborators have been developing a souped-up version of the dragon egg’s nuclear battery that can last for thousands of years without ever being charged or replaced. Unlike the batteries in most modern electronics, which generate electricity from chemical reactions, the Bristol battery collects particles spit out by radioactive diamonds that can be made from reformed nuclear waste.

Boardman also sees applications that are closer to home, like using the company’s nuclear batteries for pacemakers or wearables. He envisions a future in which people keep their batteries and swap out devices, rather than the other way around. “You’ll be replacing the fire alarm long before you replace the battery,” Boardman says.

https://www.wired.com/story/are-radioactive-diamond-batteries-a-cure-for-nuclear-waste/amp

🥳

Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 33,777 Member
    People are scared of 5G, and now somebody wants to put nuclear waste on our wrists (or in our chest cavity!).

    Great.

    😉

    🤣🤣🤣
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
    What could possibly go wrong??? :D

    zxahv5i5wy7x.png


  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    Satellites have been powered by nuclear batteries for decades. But, they are far far from people.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    So it sounds scary at first until you realize these things emit a type of radiation that isn't dangerous, and can't penetrate hard things, so it's easily contained. The article says that exit signs are more radioactive than these batteries.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    ... and this means your next watch could go 10,000 years between charges. Which is longer than writing has existed, how's that for context?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 33,777 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    So it sounds scary at first until you realize these things emit a type of radiation that isn't dangerous, and can't penetrate hard things, so it's easily contained. The article says that exit signs are more radioactive than these batteries.

    I hope the emojis would clarify, but since I got hugs in response, maybe not, especially given some subsequent replies.

    I'm not remotely concerned about this. I was speculating about public response, expecting a lot of alarmism. People react to scare words, don't do their homework about actual risk.

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