One of the biggest challenges in the mobile phone business is battery power. We need phones with longer lasting batteries but we want to keep things as green as possible. One solution that is being explored by Texas A&M University researchers is technology that would convert sound waves into energy. In other words, merely talking into the mobile would generate power to keep it running. What a cool idea!
The science behind this relies on a material known as piezoelectrics. The name sounds complicated but it’s the same form of technology used for the cigarette lighter in a car. A voltage is generated when a mechanical stress is applied; a certain type of piezoelectrics has been found to have the ability to convert energy at a 100% increase if it is manufactured in a very small size, measurable in nanometres. Many of the important components in a mobile phone are also measured in this way. In this case, sound waves can serve as the mechanical stress necessary to generate voltage. This can lead to advances where sound will be utilised to generate energy inside mobile phones.
The implications for this technology are huge. It would mean that we would no longer need to rely on phone batteries and their chargers to use mobile phones. It would also work for other devices such as mp3 players and tablets (although talking to those might seem a bit weirder than talking on a phone!). And who knows, we might even see a resurgence in the use of voice services on mobile phones (which have recently given way to other phone data usage).
In all likelihood, this technology would become a backup option used in addition to regular mobile phone charging rather than a sole method of charging, but only time will tell!
