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Researchers in Japan have developed a gel-based “soft” motor that could be
used to generate tiny amounts of electrical power, with the potential to run
micromachines. Yoshihito Osada and his colleagues at Hokkaido University filled
an absorbent strip of polystearile acrylate gel with alcohol and pierced holes
in the opposite faces of each end. When the strip was floated on water, the
alcohol escaped from the holes and spread out, forcing the strip to rotate at up
to 400 revolutions per minute. By attaching small magnets to each end of the
strip, Osada induced 0.2 microwatts of electrical power in a coil.