Fuel Cell for Cell Phones

A fuel cell is a device designed to produce electricity through a chemical reaction arising from the combination of a fuel with oxygen.

The Cell, built by Medis Technologies, works like a glow stick or hand warmer. The user squeezes the cell to mix two chemicals together, and the unit runs until the chemicals are exhausted — about 40 hours. It comes with an assortment of connector tips, including those for USB ports, BlackBerrys and cellphones of various other models, MP3 players and similar devices.

The company is hoping soon to manufacture a cell strong enough to power a laptop and even your house!

In 12 to 18 months, Medis plans to market a version of the fuel cell that will accept a replaceable fuel cartridge.

The company expects to announce a deal soon with a major retailer so the cell will be sold as an electronics accessory. For now, it's only being produced to be a part of an "emergency kit" to power your cell & flash light.

A version of the Medis fuel cell that comes with a flashlight is $50; a smaller version with cables and a variety of tips is $35. A replacement cell, minus the cable and tips, is $25.


The full article in the NYT is available here.