Re: Fuel cells for the body

From: Hal Finney (hal@finney.org)
Date: Sun Mar 30 2003 - 10:33:13 MST

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    Anders forwards:
    > http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/03/030328073035.htm
    > http://www.brown.edu/Administration/George_Street_Journal/vol27/27GSJ22b.html

    It's strange - these articles are quite unclear about how exactly these
    fuel cells would work in the body. They hint very obliquely that the fuel
    cells might generate power from blood, but they never come out and say it!

    The closest they come is explaining that conventional fuel cells run on
    either hydrogen gas or liquid methanol, but that more exotic fuels like
    glucose or formate can also be used, and in theory a "range of fuels"
    is possible. Does that mean blood? They don't say.

    They talk about fuel cells replacing batteries in portable electronics
    and medical implants. Obviously the refueling situation is completely
    different for these two examples, yet they are mentioned in the same
    sentence.

    And finally they talk about the new fuel cells working under pulsating
    conditions like blood flow in the body. Again, they never actually say
    the fuel cells would derive power from blood.

    It's a very strange article, because it seems to me that the most exciting
    and remarkable aspect of this technology would be that it fuels itself
    from your blood just like your own cells do. Yet they never mention this,
    they just kind of dance around and hint at it. Bizarre.

    Hal



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