Pee-powered battery

Juniper Foo | Aug 17, 2005

Doc Brown from Back to the Future would probably love to add this to his garbage-powered time-traveling DeLorean. Incredibly, scientists at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore have produced what could be the first paper battery to be powered by biofluids. Yes, we're talking urine and blood. For now, it's unlikely to power a DeLorean or even an iPod, but as Marty would know, the future could bring anything. Meanwhile, the credit card-sized unit is good enough as an emergency power source to juice up cheap healthcare test kits and even your cell phone. One drop of pee (about 0.2ml) is said to generate about 1.5 volts with a corresponding power of 1.5 micro-watts. A second droplet added after 15 hours will replenish the charge. Talk about an unlimited supply here, though hopefully someone's thought to build in an odor eliminator.

Via New Scientist; unfortunately no images were available of the prototype cell

Price: N.A.
Availability: In development
Device: Battery
Basic specs: N.A.

Filed under: Gadgets
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Anonymous says...
ive always thought there may have been a use for the stuff,considering there is so much of it. whoever thought one could tank up at the loo? why wait for the fuel cells, the power is quite literally somewhere in our belly!

Aug 19, 2005 22:03