Nokia has invented a cell phone that recharges itself using a unique system: It harvests ambient radio waves from the air, and turns that energy into usable power.

Enough, at least, to keep a cell phone from running out of juice.

To quote: Nokia's system isn't finicky about where it gets its wireless waves. TV, radio, other mobile phone systems - all of this stuff just bounces around the air and most of it is wasted, absorbed into the environment or scattered into the ether.

Nokia picks up all the bits and pieces of these waves and uses the collected electromagnetic energy to create electrical current, then uses that to recharge the phone's battery.

Currently Nokia is able to harvest all of 5 milliwatts from the air; the goal is to increase that to 20 milliwatts in the short term and 50 milliwatts down the line. That wouldn't be enough to keep the phone alive during an active call, but would be enough to slowly recharge the cell phone battery while it's in standby mode, theoretically offering infinite power.

Nokia says it hopes to commercialize the technology in three to five years.


Prototype Nokia Phone Recharges Itself Without Wires

Posted 157 days ago      13 Comments      PermaLink


Comments

#1
By red8316 on 23 weeks ago:
I have no clue about the science behind that, but it seems like a great idea to harvest wasted energy via radio waves. It could certainly help in a lot of ways i'm sure. I guess one potential use would be in implants and nano machines to keep them going. Future keeps on getting crazy, I love it.

#2
By Dreamcatcher on 23 weeks ago:
Simply fascinating stuff... :wow:

#3
By ernvil on 22 weeks ago:
Oh man.
I wish I was born 1000 years down the future instead.
Imagine what kind of technologies there would be :D

#4
By effbee on 22 weeks ago:
Those waves aren't really free, when you start harvesting them your degrading the range and strength of the signal to whoever it was intended for. If lots of phones start using this it is going to really mess things up.

#5
By GrandpaHomer on 22 weeks ago:
He he - can't find the charger - put mobile into Microwave for a few seconds ... :D :D :D

#6
By walidahmadi on 22 weeks ago:
well this thing would be awesome :wow:

#7
By kake2k on 22 weeks ago:
even 1000 years in the future, there will be less tech than 2000 years in the future!

this is really cool though!! wireless power haha!

#8
By killburn on 22 weeks ago:
too good to be true... so this will cause cancer

:D

#9
By denunes on 22 weeks ago:
just see this

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYYysBEwA6w[/youtube]

its the signals from radio station+tv stations+wireless networks+...
all this waves are coliding the antena.
free energy

#10
By netpredakonn on 22 weeks ago:
This is just amazing. Not only because of this cellphone. This could mean the end of cables to all electronics. You could buy one machine to generate these waves an power your entire home without if other kinds of electronics were to support this. Kudos to Nokia.

#11
By lokdu on 22 weeks ago:
Could be a great idea if it works. maybe they could consider to do this for bigger things :tup:

#12
By bl0wfish on 21 weeks ago:
This is excellent. i am always having trouble keeping my phone charged.

just think, i could be out in middle of no-where, phone goes flat. if i had this phone, i could turn it on stand-by, wait 30 mins or so. then have enough power to call someone to come resue me.

#13
By SamuelRSmith on 20 weeks ago:
I remember seeing this video where Nokia were talking about having microscopic plants that lived on the surface of the device which could then produce energy via photosynthesis.

I couldn't see that being very practical, though; I mean, how on earth would you water the damned plants?



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