Nokia smartphone saps power from thin air

 

Gallery

By Stuart Turton

Posted on 10 Jun 2009 at 11:59

Nokia is developing a smartphone that could recharge itself by leaching power out of the air.

The technology works on the same principles as radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, and would harvest ambient electromagnetic radiation emitted by Wi-Fi, mobile and television masts from the air, and convert it into electrical current.

The research team, based at Nokia's Cambridge Lab, is looking to draw 50 milliwatts of power from the air, which would be enough to slowly charge a switched-off smartphone.

Despite the fact the prototype is currently struggling to harvest three to five milliwatts, the team remains confident of having a product on the market within three years.

The team says it's likely that any new smartphone featuring the technology would come equipped with other energy-harvesting techs, such as solar panels embedded into the handset casing.