ORIGINAL: jjustin
I'm doing a class project in my engineering tech program to come up with a unique invention. My invention is to put a air turbine system on top of RC cars which will charge the RC car when the turbines spin from the movement of the car. This will hopefully increase battery life by a good amount. i would like to ask other Rc car hobbist if they would enjoy a device like this and if battery life can be a problem.
"put an air turbine system on top of RC cars which will charge the RC car when the turbines spin from the movement of the car"
Is the sole source of the turbine spinning from the movement of the car?
If so, isn't this a non-practical idea, any energy you gain from the turbine is lost in drag(?). Think of running while holding a pinwheel. The pinwheel isn't free energy, it's creating a force counter to your running. Wind utilization (ie. sailing) is one thing, but you can't utilize your own wind, and you can't get something for nothing, conservation of energy is one of the laws of physics. Sailing works b'cos the wind is already there.
Find a physics professor and run the whole thing by him to double-check what I am saying. There are things like microturbines that create their own exhaust (through compression and combustion) and then utilize some of the power of that exhaust to create rotational motion, some of which goes back into the turbine, some which can be used to turn a generator. While they have their disadvantages, one of these microturbines can outdo a 'nitro' (ICE) engine in terms of power/weight ratio. Do something like this and hobbyists will really look up to you.