Considering the rising price of the fossil fuels like coal, wood, natural gas and petroleum, there seems to be a likely shortage of these natural yet non-replenshable resources in the coming 75 years. Here are five ways of harnessing natural resources for our energy needs.
Energy Produced by Harnessing Train Vibrations
Many researchers at the Stony Brook University in New York have discovered that the vibrations that are formed in running trains can be utilised and harnessed to create energy. This is done by placing a device on the tracks that can then harness this energy and turn it into electricity. It is said that this device can provide direct current of 200 watts. According to estimates, electricity savings exceeding $10 million on an annual basis can be possible if we harvest the electricity from New York railway stations only.
Generator powered by human urine
In Nigeria, a group of teenager engineers have proposed a unique idea of producing energy out of human urine. Four Nigerian students have created an innovative generator that is powered by human urine by separating hydrogen gas from the urine through electrolysis, which eventually generates power. Now, this generator would be using one of the cheapest and abundant resources.
Self-filling water bottle
Water that is potable is one of the scarcest natural resources and is the most important resource for life on earth. Millions of people do not have clean drinking water or have to walk for miles in search of potable water. However, the self-filling water bottle will overcome this pressing problem as NBD Nano has come out with an ingenuine creation, which is a bottle that can use air to refill itself with pure water. The bottle is dotted with bumps and therefore enables the condensation of moisture that eventually transforms into droplets. This slow process eventually helps in refilling nearly three litres of water in 60 minutes.
Wave powered robot that travels 9,000 miles
Liquid Robotics Inc has come out with an innovative invention called Wave Glider. This robot does not need any person, crew or staff to guide its movement, as it uses the waves to power itself inside the water. This tiny vehicle has apparently traversed more than 9000 miles in one year and has broken the world record.
Self-Healing Concrete
Henk Jonkers and his team are trying to create a type of concrete that can heat on its own. Instead of recycling concrete, Jonkers is trying to use living bacteria to produce calcite within the cracks of the concrete and thus produce heating effect.
