Solid State Fan

http://itnews.com.au/News/72400,silent-microchip-fan-has-no-moving-parts.aspx

Looks good for cooling LED's...in a few years time....

Owen

mmm, rather than generating wind using the same process as MHD Propulsion I wonder why we can't improve existing use of thermocouples in pelter junctions:duh2:

I can see the potential of this in consumer electronics but I don't see any correlation with it to flashlights. Bike-light perhaps but for handhelds, turning out air cooled LEDs won't help water-resistance any.

I think this should be moved to Personal Gadgetry & Non-flashlight Electronics or Fixed lighting, but thats just me

Iirc there was a reference to eventually using that technology built right on the die. So as efficiencies eventually begin to flatline and we simply get more light by supplying more power, and we put more and more emitters on a single die we might need a minor cooling solution to allow many emitters in a small area.
But then again by the time this technology matures silicon LEDs may be old news and we'll all be ogling some new technology for personal lighting.