Researchers from Bristol BioEnergy Centre at the University of the West of England have been working on a novel way keep your phone charged, but it may not be popular.
The technology works by incorporating miniaturized microbial fuel cells into the socks, which convert organic matter into electricity.
The urine is pumped through the MFC when the user walks, and it has already successfully been used to power a wireless transmission board.
The technology has been in development for 30 years, but so far has failed to be scaled up for practical commercial use.
One of the men leading the research, Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos, has spoken about the technology’s potential.
He said:
This work opens up possibilities of using waste for powering portable and wearable electronics.
For example, recent research shows it should be possible to develop a system based on wearable MFC technology to transmit a person’s coordinates in an emergency situation.
At the same time this would indicate proof of life since the device will only work if the operator’s urine fuels the MFCs.”
Call me a skeptic, but I think I’d rather just carry a charger rather than walk around in my own piss-filled socks.
Oh, and be sure to avoid any stray pins on the floor.
