ID :
187765
Fri, 06/10/2011 - 19:47
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https://oananews.org//node/187765
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Pot to charge cellphones by boiling water to go on sale
TSUKUBA, Japan, June 10 Kyodo - A pot enabling users to charge their cellphones by boiling water in disaster situations will go on sale later this month.
The ''Hatsuden-nabe (power generating pot)'' of venture company TES NewEnergy Corp. has the appearance of an ordinary household utensil but can directly convert heat-waste into electricity using a thermoelectric module.
Since the device can charge cellphones and other devices using open flames from firewood, charcoal, gas and other sources, it would be useful as a backup for emergencies such as natural disasters, said the company based in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture.
The product, which uses a USB connection, can finish charging an iPhone smartphone of Apple Inc. in three to five hours, for example. It can also charge radios and flashlights if they have USB plugs.
''After the earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan, we went into full swing in developing the product,'' said Ryoji Funahashi, a director at the company, referring to the March 11 disaster.
''The product is unaffected by the weather or the time of the day, unlike solar energy, and since the motors don't shake, it's hard to break,'' he said.
The pot, 16 centimeters in diameter, contains an iron-covered conductor at the bottom. The conductor is high in temperature while the pot itself is cooler, causing a difference in temperature that can be converted to electric voltage.
''We hope to make more powerful electricity generators using metallic drums in the future, '' Funahashi said.
The product, which consists of the pot and accessories, will be sold for 24,150 yen.
TES NewEnergy is a venture company specializing in commercialization of products using technologies developed by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.
The ''Hatsuden-nabe (power generating pot)'' of venture company TES NewEnergy Corp. has the appearance of an ordinary household utensil but can directly convert heat-waste into electricity using a thermoelectric module.
Since the device can charge cellphones and other devices using open flames from firewood, charcoal, gas and other sources, it would be useful as a backup for emergencies such as natural disasters, said the company based in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture.
The product, which uses a USB connection, can finish charging an iPhone smartphone of Apple Inc. in three to five hours, for example. It can also charge radios and flashlights if they have USB plugs.
''After the earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan, we went into full swing in developing the product,'' said Ryoji Funahashi, a director at the company, referring to the March 11 disaster.
''The product is unaffected by the weather or the time of the day, unlike solar energy, and since the motors don't shake, it's hard to break,'' he said.
The pot, 16 centimeters in diameter, contains an iron-covered conductor at the bottom. The conductor is high in temperature while the pot itself is cooler, causing a difference in temperature that can be converted to electric voltage.
''We hope to make more powerful electricity generators using metallic drums in the future, '' Funahashi said.
The product, which consists of the pot and accessories, will be sold for 24,150 yen.
TES NewEnergy is a venture company specializing in commercialization of products using technologies developed by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.
