The Department of Defense is currently running a contest to see who can come up with the best battery for our U.S. soldiers. (www.dod.mil/ddre/prize/topic.html)
The power supply for our “warfighters” can not exceed four kilograms (8.8 lb) in total weight, and must deliver 96 hours of continuous electrical power at an average of 20 watts per hour, with surges up to 200 watts for up to five minutes. The power is required due to all of the electronic devices currently used by today’s military. The current power supply, that soldiers have to lug around, weighs in at a hefty 20 pounds.
The winner of the contest pockets a cool one million dollars!
Millions have undoubtedly already been spent developing the current power supply. Let’s hope this latest contest results in a much lighter and more effective power supply for today’s military. The connection to mountain biking is that technologies developed in large scale applications such as this may one day filter down to lighter and longer running power supplies for consumer use (ie- trail lights).
So do your patriotic best and enter the competition that opens on Oct. 8, and closes on Nov. 30, 2007.
or if your good with robots
or if your good with robots pocket 20 million
http://www.wired.com/science/space/magazine/15-10/ff_moon