University researchers at Berkeley are working on
creating an internal combustion micro-engine running on liquid hydrocarbon
fuel (butane, propane, etc.) to continuously produce watt-level power. The
design of the proposed 1mm square microelectrical MEMS engine is based on
the larger Wankel rotary engine, which appeared in some Mazda automobiles
and is making a comeback in several concept cars. An intermediate-sized
steel "mini rotary" prototype (shown) has successfully achieved
4 watts of electricity with a generating radius of 5.5mm and depth of 3.5mm,
with a projected final power rating of 30 to 60 watts. The pinhead-sized
micro rotary engine will be chemically etched out of a combination of thermally-resistant
silicon, silicon carbide and polysilicon, using microprocessing technology.
It will have a generating radius of 0.5mm and depth of 0.1mm, resulting
in an engine displacement of 0.013 cubic mm (on the scale of about one-forty-thousandths
of the smallest commercially-available rotary engine). One-thousandth of
an ounce of fuel should be sufficient to run the mini-engine for two hours.
Internal combustion engines have approximately 30 times greater energy density
than premium batteries, and both the mini- and micro-engines would present
an alternative power source in cell phones, digital cameras, laptops and
similar portable devices. Circle 605 - University of California, Berkeley,
Micro-Rotary Combustion Lab, or connect at http://www.OneRS.net/107df-605
The pizza delivery may have taken a little more
than 30 minutes, but it was far from free... Jumping on the decades-old
"space-race" bandwagon, Pizza Hut has succeeded in creating and
delivering the first space-consumable fast-food pizza to cosmonauts on the
International Space Station. Working with Russian food scientists, the company
rigorously tested prototypes in Kazakhstan kitchens over the course of a
year. The resulting Personal Pan-sized pizza fits in the tiny oven aboard
the ISS. Pizzas were made with traditional sauce, cheese and crispy crust
and then tested under rigorous stabilized thermal conditions, to determine
whether the vacuum-sealed pizzas would stay fresh over a prolonged shelf-life.
Since pepperoni did not stand up to the 60-day testing process, salami was
chosen instead to liven up the flavor. Randy Gear, chief marketing officer
for Pizza Hut, comments, "we're determined to give customers what they
want, when they want it and where they want it, even if they are in space.
Wherever there is life, there will be Pizza Hut pizza...After checking and
re-checking the address, we made a few minor route adjustments to ensure
that the pizza would successfully make it to the ISS." A giant leap
for fast food, indeed. Circle 606 - Pizza Hut, or connect
directly to their website at http://www.OneRS.net/107df-606
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University researchers at Berkeley are working on
creating an internal combustion micro-engine running on liquid hydrocarbon
fuel (butane, propane, etc.) to continuously produce watt-level power. The
design of the proposed 1mm square microelectrical MEMS engine is based on
the larger Wankel rotary engine, which appeared in some Mazda automobiles
and is making a comeback in several concept cars. An intermediate-sized
steel "mini rotary" prototype (shown) has successfully achieved
4 watts of electricity with a generating radius of 5.5mm and depth of 3.5mm,
with a projected final power rating of 30 to 60 watts. The pinhead-sized
micro rotary engine will be chemically etched out of a combination of thermally-resistant
silicon, silicon carbide and polysilicon, using microprocessing technology.
It will have a generating radius of 0.5mm and depth of 0.1mm, resulting
in an engine displacement of 0.013 cubic mm (on the scale of about one-forty-thousandths
of the smallest commercially-available rotary engine). One-thousandth of
an ounce of fuel should be sufficient to run the mini-engine for two hours.
Internal combustion engines have approximately 30 times greater energy density
than premium batteries, and both the mini- and micro-engines would present
an alternative power source in cell phones, digital cameras, laptops and
similar portable devices. Circle 605 - University of California, Berkeley,
Micro-Rotary Combustion Lab, or connect at 
The pizza delivery may have taken a little more
than 30 minutes, but it was far from free... Jumping on the decades-old
"space-race" bandwagon, Pizza Hut has succeeded in creating and
delivering the first space-consumable fast-food pizza to cosmonauts on the
International Space Station. Working with Russian food scientists, the company
rigorously tested prototypes in Kazakhstan kitchens over the course of a
year. The resulting Personal Pan-sized pizza fits in the tiny oven aboard
the ISS. Pizzas were made with traditional sauce, cheese and crispy crust
and then tested under rigorous stabilized thermal conditions, to determine
whether the vacuum-sealed pizzas would stay fresh over a prolonged shelf-life.
Since pepperoni did not stand up to the 60-day testing process, salami was
chosen instead to liven up the flavor. Randy Gear, chief marketing officer
for Pizza Hut, comments, "we're determined to give customers what they
want, when they want it and where they want it, even if they are in space.
Wherever there is life, there will be Pizza Hut pizza...After checking and
re-checking the address, we made a few minor route adjustments to ensure
that the pizza would successfully make it to the ISS." A giant leap
for fast food, indeed. Circle 606 - Pizza Hut, or connect
directly to their website at