Bristol University boffins dream up piss idea for urine powered mobile phones
A group of Bristol University boffins have come up with a piss idea for charging their mobile phones… harnessing the energy from their own urine.
Discarding all notion of keeping liquids well away from electronics the scientists claim that their technique is a ‘world first’.
If rolled out commercially the tech could be installed in bathrooms to power showers, lighting, razors (and phones) with every flush.
The key is a so-called MFC energy converter which can turn organic matter into electricity courtesy of the metabolism of micro-organisms, which generate more juice the more urine they drink.
Dr Ioannis Ieropoulos of the Bristol Robotics Laboratory said: "One product that we can be sure of an unending supply is our own urine.
"By harnessing this power as urine passes through a cascade of microbial fuel cells (MFCs), we have managed to charge a Samsung mobile phone.
“The beauty of this fuel source is that we are not relying on the erratic nature of the wind or the sun, we are actually re-using waste to create energy.
"So far the microbial fuel power stack that we have developed generates enough power to enable SMS messaging, web browsing and to make a brief phone call.
"Making a call on a mobile phone takes up the most energy, but we will get to the place where we can charge a battery for longer periods.
"The concept has been tested and it works - it's now for us to develop and refine the process so that we can develop MFCs to fully charge a battery."