Eco Factor: New research indicates that sound can be a source of energy for cellphones and portable electronics.
A cellphone normally spends its battery power to keep our conversations going. However, new research indicates a future of cellphones that just do its opposite – they recharge their batteries when the user is on a call. Scientists at Texas A&M University in Houston have found that certain piezoelectric systems become more efficient when they are manufactured at a very small size and they can be used to provide electricity for portable electronic devices.
Usually, piezoelectric materials create small amounts of electricity when they are moved, twisted or stretched. Scientists discovered that when the materials are made extremely thin, their electricity conversion efficiency increases dramatically. Making these materials thin also enables them to be moved by sound or speech. This research has now made scientists envision a future where portable devices such as cellphones will be powered by nothing else than sound. The more the sound offered the more is the electricity produced.
The Dark Side:
Currently the research is in its infancy, and the piezoelectric devices manufactured today generate too little electricity for charging a cellphone. However, if subsequent research can increase the amount of electricity produced, then we would not be far away from the day when we would want someone to scream on the phone to power it for day’s worth of mobile talking.
Via: TechRadar
