A plastic skin has been patented that generates electricity and could one day power airships, laptop computers, or small aircraft. The material, invented as part of a project to develop unmanned reconnaissance airships, is really an extended, hyper-thin fuel cell.
Chemical reactions inside the skin produce electricity. Its designers say it could be used to drive a wide range of machines, from laptops and lawnmowers to aircraft. Its significant drawback is that it has to be fuelled by explosive hydrogen gas.
Mr Laurence Williams, an engineer at aerospace company Lock heed Martin came up with the idea while looking for a way to power miniature remote-controlled airships.
The skin produces electricity by enabling hydrogen inside the airship to react with oxygen in the air outside. Without heavy batteries or aviation fuel, a 12 ft airship fitted with cameras, navigation and communication equipment would weigh just three kg. It would have a power output of 200 watts and a range of around 700 km, according to Mr Williams.
The airship could monitor crowds, search for missing people at sea, or inspect power lines. Mr Williams has also calculated that hydrogen-filled wings with a fuel-cell skin could power an aircraft big enough to carry four people.
In a laptop computer, lawnmower, or other device, the skin could provide power for up to five times longer than batteries.