A Clock That Eats Flies

[Ian David]

A Clock That Eats Flies


This prototype clock from UK designers James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau is powered by a microbial fuel cell. It features a conveyor belt of flypaper that attracts flies and drops their bodies into the fuel cell. Depending on the available fly supply, the process can generate enough power to sustain itself and power a digital clock, as well.

More:
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/03/a-clock-that-eats-flies.html

[MineralMan]

1. The Cow Barn Clock, eh?

Too cool.

[RC]

4. Might be able to run the milking machine there, huh?

[MineralMan]

6. At the milking barn I worked in for a while, you could probably

power a small town with it. Pasteurization is a good thing.

[cui bono]

2. Waiting for the floor lamp that eats Republicans.

Except then they'd have to be lined up into my living room.

As Rosanne Rosanna Danna used to say... "Nevermind."

[Taverner]

3. I love it!

[drm604]

5. My question is:

Does the fuel cell generate enough electricity to power both the clock and the conveyor belt?

[phantom power]

7. according to the article, the answer is "yes, if it gets enough flies"

[Ian David]

8. Yes, they say it does. n/t

[unblock]

9. that puts a different spin on the phrase "time flies"....

:groan:

[cognoscere]

10. I think the complete quote is, "Time flies like an arrow.

Fruit flies like a banana". G.Marx

[Heywood J]

11. Here's where all the referral links trace back to:

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/24/6335170-video-a-clock-powered-by-dead-flies

[cascadiance]

12. Send these to Libya if they want to enforce a "no fly zone" on the ground!...

[mva92]

13. Cool

Cool, I want one!

[NickB79]

14. Just a matter of time now before we're all trapped in the Matrix and used as a power source

Bow before your machine masters!

[Lilyhoney]

15. Here is something similar on a little larger scale.

The Park Spark is a system that uses your dog poop to power the lights in the park.

This is already in use in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It works by you picking up your poop with the usual biodegradable bag and then you put the poop in a tube within the Park Spark. You then turn the crank and it’ll turn that poop into methane gases. Those gases then rise up and combust. Hopefully more parks will start using this method to keep frequent dog lover parks up and going.

http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20100915/dog-poop-powered-park-lamp/