Motion-powered phone charger sashays in

Tag : charger

The idea is to place the charger inside a purse or backpack and letit charge in the background, said Regan Rowe, director of businessdevelopment at the company. When fully charged, M2E Power's devicestores enough to recharge a phone at a speed comparable to an ACoutlet.
Inside is a lithium ion battery and a series of coils and magnets.When it moves, an electromagnetic field forms around the coils togenerate electricity.
The technology, developed in part at Boise State University,optimizes that field to match the slow frequency of human motionand draw a usable current.
The charger unit can be charged by an AC wall socket as well. M2EPower has had discussions with cell phone manufacturers to buildthe generator directly into a phone.
"Handset manufacturers are under pressure to deal with electronicwaste issues and show they are looking for more sustainablepractices," Rowe said. "We've seen a lot of interest in this as thewave of the future."
But because those products take a few years to design and develop,it will likely take at least two years before a self-powered cellphone is commercially available, Rowe said.
The company is also testing how much charge it can draw from thevibration of vehicles, Rowe said. The amount of charge a generatorcan make varies a great deal with the amount of motion.
"Someone with an old pick-up truck with no shocks will have aglorious time with M2E technology, but someone with a Mercedes willhave to spend more time" charging, she said.
Long term, the company is looking at placing self-charging devicesin hybrid and electric cars. Putting a self-charging device nearwindshield wipers or door locks could significantly cut down on ahybrid car's electrical load and extend its driving range, Rowesaid.
The company also has military grants to explore the use ofself-powering devices such as night goggles.