There are a number of types of wind turbines for power generation which can use wind from any direction.

Make a scaled down one, for use as a child's toy.
-- goldbb, May 26 2009

Like this? http://web.archive....oy-bine_20Windmills
(Deleted idea.) [theleopard, May 27 2009]

Sainsburys: Vertical Axis Pinwheel http://www.quietrev...n.co.uk/sainsburys/
If this is what you mean (turbines that rotate about an axis that lies on the vertical) then they have these at my local Sainsburys. [zen_tom, May 27 2009]

Vertical axis Pinwheels http://www.kunstsch...12426/Windspiel.jpg
[loonquawl, Jun 02 2009]

Could you link to what you are talking baout please? I googled but couldn't find anything. I put in your idea title and this idea was the first on the list.
-- zeno, May 27 2009


... and this would be better than the gazillion vertical (and for that, any direction) axis wind kids' toys how?
-- loonquawl, May 27 2009


I'm thinking that a toy-sized version of any type of windmill, including a cup anemometer, is fairly obvious. This is just a "make it smaller" suggestion. [ ]
-- baconbrain, May 27 2009


[+] I like the idea, wouldn't have thought of it myself, and have never seen vertical turbines as a kids toy before. If I were a geek with kids, that's what I'd get them!
-- jutta, May 27 2009


zeno, search for "vertical axis turbine" and you'll see the type of machine that I want to shrink down to the size of a kid's pinwheel.

loonquawl, regular kids' pinwheels are *all* horizontal axis turbines. They only spin if the wind is coming from in front or behind. If the wind is from the side, they don't spin.

baconbrain, I guess it is just a "make it smaller" idea... but there's there's nothing in the rules against it :) ... if it were obvious, someone would have invented it already :)
-- goldbb, May 28 2009


I thought those toys came in all different shapes and forms but you seem to have found a new one.
-- zeno, May 29 2009


// regular kids' pinwheels are *all* horizontal axis turbines. // They are, if held horizontal. If held vertical, thanks to the cup-like aspect of the wings, they work too.

See [link] for professionalized version.
-- loonquawl, Jun 02 2009



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