Tech Stuff!!

Nokia developing self-charging cell phone

No more telling Mom you can’t talk because your cell phone is “about to die”–it soon could be charging itself as you speak.

The Nokia Research Centre in Cambridge, England, is working on a prototype system that would eliminate the traditional cell phone charger.

The system collects energy from ambient radio waves emitted by antennas, TV masts, Wi-Fi transmitters, and the like. This might all sound uber-scientific, but we’ve been using this technology for years. Have you ever exited a store, only to hear the beep, beep, beep of an accusing alarm system? Many retailers use radio frequency identification to prevent theft and track inventory. Like RFID tags, the Nokia phones would catch radio waves across a range of frequencies, harnessing them for power.

Nokia’s goal is to get cell phones to harvest about 50 milliwatts of power. Currently the prototypes are able to harvest up to 5 milliwatts, but at least 20 milliwatts is needed to keep phones running in standby mode indefinitely without the need for a recharge, the U.K.’s Guardian reports in an article on Nokia’s research.

We’re not quite sure what features 50 milliwatts could power: music playing? 3G Internet browsing? As consumers increase their business- and entertainment-related dependency on cell phones, Nokia might have to adjust its 50-milliwatt goal. For a more functional lifestyle device, the phone would need to be paired with a solar-paneled case, or even an occasional wired charge.

The Nokia Research Centre has said the technology will take three to five years to develop. Though this would presumably be the first time electromagnetic radiation is applied to a mainstream consumer product, wireless charging has already hit the market. This month, Palm introduced a wireless charger, the Touchstone, for its much-anticipated Palm Pre.

The Touchstone uses a method referred to as inductive charging. The electric toothbrush is one of the most common devices that applies this technology.

Wash clothes with just a cup of water

Water conservation usually takes a backseat while doing laundry, but not anymore, for now a new environmentally friendly washing machine,
which uses use only one cup of water and leaves clothes virtually dry, is all set to hit showrooms next year.

Developed at the University of Leeds, the technologyaims save up to 90% of water used by conventional machines, use 30% less energy, and thus can have the environmental impact of taking two million cars off the road.

The washing machine works by replacing most of the water with thousands of tiny, reusable nylon polymer beads, which attract and absorb dirt under humid conditions. Only a small amount of water and detergent is needed to dampen the clothes, loosen stains and create the water vapour that allows the beads to work.

And after the cycle is finished, the beads fall through a mesh in the machine’s drum, and can be re-used up to a hundred times. The company behind the technology, Xeros, is initially aiming at the commercial washing market, including hotels and dry cleaners. Bill Westwater, Xeros chief executive, said that growing pressure on companies and consumers to cut water usage and carbon emissions might boost demand for the system. “We’ve got an eye on the consumer but it will take time and we hope commercial success could act as a springboard to move into the consumer market,”

Stephen Burkinshaw from Leeds developed the technology over the past 30 years. He said: “We’ve shown that it can remove all sorts of everyday stains including coffee and lipstick while using a tiny fraction of the water used by conventional machines.” About 20kg of the beads are added, along with a cup of water and detergent. The chips can be used up to 100 times, the equivalent of six months’ washing.