Buzz
In today's highly digital and interconnected world, we often take power for granted. Electricity is so common and accessible that it almost becomes invisible. However, there's a growing anxiety that strikes between the flicker of a lightbulb at midnight and the dreaded low battery warning on our phones. Scientists are actively working on novel solutions to ensure that we never have to face a power shortage, not even for a few seconds.
10. Harnessing Lightning to Charge Your Phone
A major annoyance with modern smartphones is the slow charging process once the battery dies. But don’t worry, Nokia (Microsoft) is on the case. In a blog video, the company showcased how they successfully recharged their Lumia 925 phone in less than a minute. The trick? Collaborating with researchers from the University of Southampton, they managed to safely create controlled artificial lightning bolts and direct them into the phone's battery. Unfortunately, this cutting-edge technology is not yet available to the public.
9. Flashlight Powered by Body Heat
Flashlights often seem to have the worst timing: fully charged when you don’t need them, yet dying the moment you actually require them. To solve this issue, Ann Makosiniki has come up with an innovative solution. By using Peltier tiles, she harnessed the thermal energy from a human hand to power an LED light, proving that it could easily provide enough energy to run a flashlight. She showcased her invention at the Google Science Fair and won in her category.
8. Body Temperature-Powered Fabric Charges Your Phone
Ever considered using the extra heat from your pockets for something useful? There's wasted energy all around us. A team from Southampton's Electronic and Computer Science Department has developed a material that captures the heat from your pants and converts it into electricity. This technology doesn't just work in pants; it can also be incorporated into sleeping bags. All you need to charge your phone is a plug, and you're set. Although it may take some time to fully charge your device, the potential is there.
7. Urine-Powered Mobile Phones
After studying the effects of bacteria on urine, researchers at the University of Bristol developed a fuel cell that uses bacteria to break down chemicals in urine. This process generates electric charge, which is then stored in a capacitor. However, before you start considering which kidney you can live without, it's important to note that the current size of the battery is about that of a car battery, making it impractical for everyday use. So far, the energy generated has been enough to power a mobile phone, enabling internet browsing and SMS. Researchers are working on miniaturizing the technology to make it more practical outside of the lab.
6. Bacteria-Powered Lightbulb
Slavery and eugenics are generally seen as harmful to humanity, but bacteria don't mind being part of scientific projects. At the University of Wisconsin, undergraduates are working on a device called a Biobulb, which produces light entirely from the power of bacteria. The bacteria used are genetically modified E. coli, which have been infused with the gene for bioluminescence. Once altered, these bacteria glow like jellyfish and fireflies. They would recharge by ambient light, and if successful, this innovation could lead to lightbulbs that don’t pose a risk of mercury poisoning.
5. Shape-Shifting Plastic Powers Motors
A new material has been developed that can change shape and revert to its original form. It shrinks when exposed to ultraviolet light and returns to its initial size when exposed to visible light. After undergoing repeated expansion and contraction, the material showed no loss of strength over 30 hours, an impressive feat. This material holds potential as a power source because it could be used to create window blinds that open and close based on temperature, as well as power motors.
4. Wireless Device That Charges from Signals
A significant challenge with modern gadgets is their constant demand for signal. With WiFi, 4G, Bluetooth, and NFC all running simultaneously, your battery can deplete rapidly, leaving you with a useless device. However, researchers at the University of Washington have developed a groundbreaking technology called 'ambient backscatter.' This innovation allows devices to repurpose existing wireless signals to recharge their batteries. Essentially, it can passively harvest energy from ambient wireless signals to keep devices charged.
3. Justin Bieber and Linkin' Park Enhance Solar Cell Efficiency
Researchers at Queen Mary University in London have found that playing pop and rock music enhances the performance of solar cells that cover solar panels. The vibrations caused by different music genres were shown to boost energy generation in these cells. Specifically, rock and pop music resulted in a remarkable 40 percent increase in solar cell efficiency.
Why? Solar cells are made with zinc oxide, a material that can produce electricity when bent. Since sound is essentially vibration, the music causes the zinc to bend slightly, with higher-frequency sounds generating more electricity.
2. Rubbing Paper Generator
Disney has developed a groundbreaking way to generate power using just our hands and a piece of paper. The process is simple: by stroking the paper, a current is generated. Through the use of everyday materials like Teflon, Disney Research Pittsburgh discovered how rubbing or tapping Teflon with paper causes a charge to accumulate across the sheet. This power can be used to operate devices like sounds, LED lights, and e-ink displays. Disney envisions this as a cost-effective way to add interactive features to books.
1. Wine-Powered Microprocessor
Intel is a household name, known for creating the technology that powers the devices we use every day, including the one you're using to read this. But you know what’s even better than Intel? Red wine. Intel has combined the best of both worlds by developing a microprocessor that runs purely on energy derived from red wine. While the exact science behind it remains unclear, it works. At a tech conference, an engineer showed off this breakthrough by pouring wine onto a circuit board inside a wine glass. The microprocessor powered up instantly and ran a graphics program on a computer. Forget the idea of magic as an explanation—it's clear that computers using this chip may come with an '21 and over' rating and could face a ban in the Middle East.
