4 ms·
This says 'Because there is no contact between moving parts, there is no friction. Therefore no lubricant is required. No replacement of spare parts either.' H
by frobozz 11y ago
This says 'Because there is no contact between moving parts, there is no friction. Therefore no lubricant is required. No replacement of spare parts either.'
However, there are animations that show it wobbling.
This implies that it's made of a flexible substance. I'm not being so pedantic as to suggest that the fibres or crystals etc. of the substance are moving parts (though surely there is friction between them), but I do have a query:
In my completely anecdotal and limited experience of household bendy objects vs. household hinges; hinges win the longevity battle every time, even without regular application of lubricants. Also, when a bendy object fails, the whole thing needs to be replaced. On the other hand, when a mechanical part fails, I can replace the part and keep the rest of the object.
Can these things therefore really be cheaper to maintain than a mechanical wind turbine?
- david-given 11y agoHow to make tall, stiff objects wobble safely is pretty standard technology these days --- all tall buildings do it, and very tall skyscrapers are carefully tuned and damped to wobble in exactly the right way. This is partly because of wind, and partly earthquakes. Here's a terrifying video of a skyscraper farm in Japan swaying gently after an earthquake in 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQaHyY9-Fuw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQaHyY9-Fuw So I'd say it's at least plausible that these generators could be built.
- qbrass 11y agoBuild them out of skyscrapers.