Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello,
I have a project in which my group should design a a device that uses mechanical energy to generate and store energy for cooking. We have started working on it. However, most of our design alternatives entails a lot of manual labor.

Please any suggestions?

Thank you,

Anto

Hi!
I would suggest doing a google search and trying to find other ideas which require less labor. Here are a couple of examples of possible ideas-
http://books.google.com/books?id=w6SrO7 ... _JBo&hl=en
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3968787.html
Sounds like an interesting project, best of luck!

It would probably help us advise you if you listed some of the ideas you had that seemed to be too much work....maybe we could let you know of possible shortcuts. Also., remember that Science Fair projects can be small scale demonstrations. Don't forget safety considerations.
If you decide to use a liquid metal to store heat, pick a non-toxic metal like tin (not lead!).