Lilliputian's engineering miracle was in designing a tiny solid-oxide fuelcell that instead of melting everything in its vicinity is merely warm to the touch.
On the contrary, start-up companies like Westwood, MA-based Acumentrics are similarly pursuing a solid-oxide fuelcell technology tailored to the needs of the military.
The Tennessee Valley Authority (nyse: TVC - news - people ), a big Chattanooga employer, is taking the output from the 5-kilowatt solid oxide fuelcell that the center is experimenting with.