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Nano-tech could charge mobile phones with your voice

New research in nanotechnology could mean you’ll be able to charge your phone with your voice.

Utilising the sounds made when you’re talking on the phone, and background noise, this would be changed into a residual electrical charge. This could also be done while the phone isn’t in use.

At the Institute of Nanotechnology at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, South Korea, Dr Sang-Woo Kim, said: “A number of approaches for scavenging energy from environments have been intensively explored.

“The sound that always exists in our everyday life and environments has been overlooked as a source. This motivated us to realise power generation by turning sound energy from speech, music or noise into electrical power.

“Sound power can be used for various novel applications including cellular phones that can be charged during conversations and sound-insulating walls near highways that generate electricity from the sound of passing vehicles.”

He added: “The latter development would have the additional benefit of reducing noise levels near highways by absorbing the sound energy of vehicles.”

It’s one of the most interesting charging ideas we’ve seen for a while- and is added to increasingly long list of  alternative energry solutions for our pile of phones in the office. Some of the best ones we’ve tried/ are waiting for a review model include wellies, bike chargers, and a charger that’ll charge your phone as you walk.

The science goes something like this; a pad within the phone vibrates when sound waves hit it, making zinc oxide wires set between electrodes compress and release. This is what is transformed into the electrical current- albeit a tiny one.

100 decibel sound could generate 50 milivolts- certainly not enough just yet to charge our increasingly energy-hungry phones. Dr. Kim said: “Our current output performance can be applied to various electronic devices with low-power consumption such as self-powered sensors and body-implantable tiny devices. We believe that we can realise more efficient sound-driven nanogenerators.”

Via: The Telegraph

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