GE shows 4mm thin piezoelectric cooler for ultrabooks and tablets

DailyTech writes General Electric developed the Dual Piezoelectric Cooling Jets (DCJ), a 4mm thin cooling solution based on jet-engine technology. This new cooler employs micro-fluidic bellows that provide high-velocity jets of air to cool electronic components, it's not only compact but also uses less power than traditional fans. GE also mentions that the cooling solution can be made so quiet that users won't even know it's running. The first devices with the DCJ may arrive in 2013 or 2014.

GE claims the new device is simple to manufacture, and has no moving parts, making it less failure prone than traditional fans. It's a mere 4 millimeters tall -- 50 percent slimmer than traditional fans -- and consumes less than half the power of a traditional fan with comparable airflow.

Peter de Bock, lead Electronics Cooling Researcher at GE Global Research claims the technology is primed for use in designs like ultrabooks, hybrid laptops, and tablets, commenting, "DCJ was developed as an innovative way to dramatically reduce the amount of pressure losses and loading characteristics in aircraft engines and power generation in gas and wind turbines. Over the past 18 months we have addressed many challenges adapting this technology in areas of acoustics, vibration, and power consumption such that the DCJ can now be considered as an optimal cooling solution for ultra-thin consumer electronics products."