[1][2] It consists of a flexible polymer ribbon stretched between supports transverse to the wind direction, with magnets glued to it.
When the wind blows across it, the ribbon vibrates due to vortex shedding, similar to the action of an aeolian harp.
One prototype has powered two LEDs, a radio, and a clock (separately) using wind generated from a household fan.
There are three sizes in development: The Windbelt's inventor, Shawn Frayne, was a winner of the 2007 Breakthrough Award from the publishers of the magazine, Popular Mechanics.
[11] The inventor's claims that the device is 10–30 times more efficient than small wind turbines have been refuted by tests.