Charge your iPhone with motion power… in 2009

By SmartPlanet on 26 August 2008, 3:45pm

M2E Power, a company formed last year to charge electronic gadgets with human motion, has reported back that its system actually works. Next year it expects to release a charger that can harvest enough motion from walking to replenish mobiles such as the iPhone or other small gadgets, like GPS devices.

It says that six hours of cumulative motion can add 30 to 60 minutes of talk time to a mobile phone.

The idea is to place the charger inside a purse or backpack and let it charge in the background, says the company's Regan Rowe. When fully charged, M2E Power's device stores enough to recharge a phone at a speed comparable to a mains socket.

Inside the device is a lithium ion battery and a series of coils and magnets. When it moves, an electromagnetic field forms around the coils to generate electricity. The technology, developed in part at Boise State University, optimizes that field to match the slow frequency of human motion and draw a usable current.

The charger unit can be charged by an mains socket as well. M2E Power has had discussions with mobile phone manufacturers to build the generator directly into a phone.

"Handset manufacturers are under pressure to deal with electronic waste issues and show they are looking for more sustainable practices," Rowe said. "We've seen a lot of interest in this as the wave 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 mobile phone is commercially available, Rowe said.

The company is also testing how much charge it can draw from the vibration of vehicles, Rowe said. The amount of charge a generator can make varies a great deal with the amount of motion.

"Someone with an old pick-up truck with no shocks will have a glorious time with M2E technology, but someone with a Mercedes will have to spend more time charging", she said.

Long term, the company is looking at placing self-charging devices in hybrid and electric cars. Putting a self-charging device near windshield wipers or door locks could significantly cut down on a hybrid car's electrical load and extend its driving range, Rowe said.

Photo: M2E Power