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Mark Crowley
Portrait of Benjamin Franklin by Joseph-Siffred Duplessis painted in 1785.[Gwengoat/iStock/side panels DI studio]
The Last Word: On FedEx Testing Ben Franklin’s ‘Electrostatic Motor’ Technology in North Texas
by David Seeley | Oct 22, 2024
Benjamin Franklin pioneered "electrostatic motors" in the mid-1700s, creating force through static shock- like interactions between negative and positive charges in components. More than 270 years later, Wisconsin-based C-Motive has developed a modern iteration featuring a proprietary mix of industrial organic fluids and electronics that switch at super fast speeds. C-Motive's motors are now being tested by FedEx Supply Chain to run conveyors at a distribution center near Fort Worth, FedEx automation technician Mark Crowley told the Wall Street Journal.
