Bookmark and Share

Charging phones with Water?

0 Comment

Water-activated Charger

Well the title might seem rubbish to you, but it’s a major breakthrough achieved in recent days. World’s first water-activated charger has been developed recently by Swedish researchers. The charger can now help you charge your cell phone with just puddle of water.

One might be waiting for any catch behind the charger, or the kind of water used but surprisingly there is no catch in the development and normal water can be used now to help you charge your phone. The charger is based on the technology of micro fuel cell which was developed in Stockholm. Ordinary water is used to extend the battery life for upto 3 watts.

The charging device can be powered with the help of normally available fresh water. Also sea water can be used for the purpose of charging. There is no need for perfectly clean water. It is expected that the new technology will help accelerate the social development in many emerging countries. It is also expected to bring down the dependency on others for critical charging. Use of portable batteries will decline as well. The invention is definitely an environmental friendly mechanism.

It is undoubtedly true that the use of mobile phones has been increasing every day. Mobiles are used for vital functions like electronic payment, weather information, etc. There are large areas where there is either no electricity or it faces problem of low electricity. The move will help the people charge their phones at ease.

Mechanism by which Chargers use Water to convert into Electrical Energy

If we see technically, there is a small recyclable metal disc inside the charger unit. The disc when gets water, releases hydrogen gas which then combines with oxygen to convert chemical energy into electrical energy. The energy generated is sufficient enough to power a phone between 25-100% of its total battery capacity. The development of such a charger is thought to be the first step towards building fuel cells in laptops. There is a huge untapped market for fuel cells. As of today these cells are only used in electric cars, trucks, buses, power backup, etc. There is a need to develop such cells which can be used in appliances of daily use. Fuel cells are safe and are environmentally friendly as water vapor is the only by-product of such cells.

Advantages of Using a Water-chargeable Charger

As far as the charger is concerned it is a hybrid product and acts as both fuel cell and a portable battery. The portable battery provides a direct power source as well as storage buffer for the fuel. The price of the charge is definitely high but it is expected that as the product penetrates the market, it will be easily available for the huge mass. The product is very useful for the people who live in remote areas of the world, are frequent travelers, or are outdoor enthusiasts.

Talking of India, the charger will definitely serve the purpose of saving electricity to a great extent. Given the huge population having access to mobile phones it is very likely that if the charge is put to use by majority, huge amount of electricity could be saved. This will not only help in safeguarding the environment but will also help in reducing the expenditure on electricity. Read about Solar powered Mobile Phones.

Conclusion

To conclude we can say that technology has definitely changed the face and pace of development. The water based charger is a great innovation and would help in reducing dependency on other, portable batteries, electricity for charging of cell phones. The development will also pace up the demand of fuel cells in recent future and undoubtedly will help the environment remain clean and green to a great extent.

 

PG

Niraj Satnalika

Niraj is an MBA in International Business (Finance). Prior to this he completed B.Tech in Electronics and Instrumentation. He is currently working with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Kolkata in capacity of Consultant. Satnalika is actively involved with an NGO and works towards promoting education among the underprivileged.

No Responses so far | Have Your Say!