Electronic devices play an important role for our activities in the great outdoors. They are essential for navigating and documenting our adventures, for scientific surveys or acquisitions and even for rescue operations and disaster management. Nonetheless, charging electronic devices during long periods away from civilization remains a difficult task. Today, solar panels are the only available solution to this common problem, making the power supply completely dependent on weather periods with sufficient sunshine. This is why the Micro Wind Turbine proposes a novel alternative that can operate in harsh weather conditions and even at night. The design integrates all necessary components in one sleek unit and is focused on pack size, minimal weight and ease of set up.
A lightweight and collapsible energy source, engineered for adventures.
The construction of the vertical axis rotor is based on the principle of tension and compression and unfolds within seconds by simply pulling the telescopic shaft apart. It can capture the wind from all directions and is directly mounted to the generator axis that is placed in the lower part of the shaft. The produced energy will either be stored in an integrated battery pack or can be used directly to charge devices on the built-in USB port.
The current design is opimized to be used for smaller USB devices and can be handled by one single person. It produces a constant output of 5 Watts at a windspeed of 18 km/h. Nevertheless, the system is easily scaleable and the size could be adapted for varying scenarios or a communal use.
