TOKYO - Most people look for a place to hide when a typhoon is on the horizon, but Atsushi Shimizu hopes that the fury of nature may one day help resource-poor Japan tackle its energy woes.

As thousands of Australians seek shelter from a "monster" cyclone battering the country's northern coast, the Tokyo-based engineer believes that his bladeless wind turbine cannot only stand up to the raw force of these destructive storms, but also harness that power to generate electricity.

His eggbeater shaped creation - it has three cylinders and a central rod - responds to wind coming from any direction and doesn't use a propeller to spin.