# Miniature petrol engine **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 21, 2004, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miniature-petrol-engine/270382 "2004-10-21T11:36:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![D0pBOt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ab097/32.png) [@D0pBOt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D0pBOt)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miniature-petrol-engine/270382/1 "2004-10-21T11:36:23Z")
[http://www.esato.com/archive/t.php/t-70969%20-miniature%20petrol%20engine](http://www.esato.com/archive/t.php/t-70969%20-miniature%20petrol%20engine) Is that for real? Could it have practical uses? ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miniature-petrol-engine/270382/2 "2004-10-21T12:53:18Z")
Seems legit. [http://www.labonline.com.au/science/latest\_news/article.asp?id=4850](http://www.labonline.com.au/science/latest_news/article.asp?id=4850) Dunno why you’d use a machine with moving parts to power something like a phone, i.e., I think that the uses proposed in the story are silly, but it’s interesting nonetheless. I’ll see if I can find a photo. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miniature-petrol-engine/270382/3 "2004-10-21T12:55:06Z")
The guy’s bio can be found here: [http://www.eng.bham.ac.uk/mechanical/people/jiang.htm](http://www.eng.bham.ac.uk/mechanical/people/jiang.htm) Again, the story seems legit. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miniature-petrol-engine/270382/4 "2004-10-21T12:58:22Z")
Photo here: > **[Six Hot Technologies That Could Profoundly Change Handhelds](http://www.brighthand.com/news/six-hot-technologies-that-could-profoundly-change-handhelds/)** > > Brighthand Editor-in-Chief Ed Hardy brings us six hot technologies that just may alter the way we view handheld computers and mobile devices. Can you guess what they are? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miniature-petrol-engine/270382/5 "2004-10-21T13:33:42Z")
Wow. That would be great to power a model railroad locomotive. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![micco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f8ce5/32.png) [@micco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/micco)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miniature-petrol-engine/270382/6 "2004-10-21T13:35:55Z")
MIT Tech Review has an article about miniature jet engines for the same applications. Not only are there moving parts, but moving at a million RPM. [http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/04/11/freedman1104.asp](http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/04/11/freedman1104.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miniature-petrol-engine/270382/7 "2004-10-21T13:52:03Z")
Is that a jet engine in your PocketPC, or are you just pleased to see me? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miniature-petrol-engine/270382/8 "2004-10-21T14:05:30Z")
“Did you just fart?” “Naw. It’s just my watch charging up.” ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miniature-petrol-engine/270382/9 "2004-10-21T22:31:43Z")
So what, some day I’m gonna have to take my watch and laptop in every year for an emissions inspection like my car? 🙂