World's First Light powered Motor

Research team at Tokyo institute of technology has developed a motor which entirely runes on light, rather than photovoltaic cells which convert light to electricity this motor has special elastomer whose molecular structure expands or contracts when when light falls on it, this is how this motor can convert light energy directly into the mechanical energy.



Team was working on this project since 2003 when they found that plastic compound containing azobenze can expand in ultraviolet light and regain its original shape in normal visible light since then they had improved very much. They performed the test by rotating a pair of wheels measuring 3 millimeters and 10 millimeters in diameter looped with shape shifting plastic coated 0.08 millimeter belt, when ultraviolet light was shine on small wheels and visible light on small wheel they starts rotating with a top speed of 1 rpm.



The coated film measured 4 times elastic than human muscle, this thing is not very efficient but it can be improved to convert light energy into mechanical energy. [Via: pinktentacle]