Shouldn’t a strenuous run provide something more than a rush of endorphins? Something, perhaps, like power to charge your cell phone? M2E Power agrees. The company, which works with kinetic motion technology, announced plans today to release a portable charger for mobile devices sometime next summer.
The charger, which is the size of a pack of cards, derives power from cumulative motion from walking, jogging, cycling, or driving. Six hours of motion provides 30 to 60 minutes of extra power. And at $25 to $40, M2E’s catch-all charger won’t break the bank.
The kinetic energy system uses the Faraday Principle, which states that the movement of a conductor through a magnetic field produces voltage in the conductor proportional to the speed of movement. In this case, the conductor is a wire coil. The system uses a magnet that moves against the coil every time the charger moves, generating a charge that is captured in a capacitor. A logic circuit takes the charge to the built-in Li-Ion cell, where it is stored until use.
While the portable charger will be M2E’s only commercially available product in the near future, the company plans has more plans for their kinetic technology in the pipeline, including a centralized battery pack for military units and power for peripheral systems of hybrid cars. On a larger scale, M2E hopes to use kinetic energy to enhance wind, hydropower, and tidal power efficiency. Not bad for a company that came out of stealth mode less than a year ago.
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