- A new patent has issued to Memorial University of Newfoundland for an underwater turbine that rotates to self-orient with water current.
- Memorial University appears to have spun off a company to commercialize the patented invention.
New U.S. Patent No. 9,784,236 (the ‘236 Patent) issued on October 10th from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a “Flexible Water Turbine.” The patent describes an underwater turbine having a flexible support shaft that “permits the water current to orient the turbine” with the flow of water to optimize flow across the turbine blades. For example, Figure 3 from the ‘236 Patent illustrates a power generation unit (40) having a base (48) and turbine (41) coupled by a flexible tether (43). The patent explains that the flexible tether can be made from carbon fiber. Continue reading “New Patent Spotlight: Flexible Underwater Turbine”