Phone battery flat? Charge it up again - with water!

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 22 April 2008 15:44

Opinion and Analysis

I’ve seen water powered digital watches and calculators on sale at markets – now Samsung is taking the technology a step further to transform water into a power source that could – in 2010 - literally juice up your future phone!

All these hydrogen battery fuel-cell technologies that have been endlessly promised and little delivered may be rendered completely obsolete thanks to new fuel cell technology being developed by Samsung.

The Korean electronics powerhouse, according to Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, and re-reported at the Samsung Electro-Mechanics website that developed the technology in the first place, has created a “micro-fuel cell and hydrogen generator that runs on water”.

Cnet.com.au uncovered the story, which upon closer investigation at Samsung Electro-Mechanics 'Cyber PR' page on the 15th of October, 2007 - so it doesn't look like it's an early - or late - April 1 joke.

You can see a diagram at the Samsung Electro-Mechanies site that explains how the technology is supposed to work.

Oh Yong-soo, the vice president of Samsung Electro-Mechanics' research centre, said that when the handset is turned on, “metal and water in the phone react to produce hydrogen gas”.

Cool... who the heck needs fiddly, expensive to produce hydrogen, when you can just get it from water? It makes me think that all those rumours of water-powered cars being developed, and squashed by oil companies over the years, may well have been true...

Anyway, the article goes on to state that “the gas is then supplied to the fuel cell where it reacts with oxygen in the air to generate power.”

Sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Chosun Ilbo notes that “other fuel cells need methanol to produce hydrogen, while Samsung's needs only water.”

Hallelujah – although it means that future demand for water will only go higher still, and pure water at that. The predicted water wars could happen for two reasons – the need to quench thirst and hydrate the body – and the need to power our electronics!

What’s most interesting is the claim that, since Samsung’s micro-fuel cell can “generate up to three watts of electricity, it could be used in mobile devices.”

And obviously, these devices take a lot more power than your water powered calculator or digital wristwatch.

So, how long will Samsung’s water fillable fuel cell power your phone for? Please read onto page 2.