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