New Sound-Powered Smartphone Prototype Looks to Revolutionize Mobile Communication

Festival goers rejoice! A group of scientists from Queens Mary University in London have teamed up with Nokia to bring you a product that you need in your life. We all know the struggle of arriving at a festival, or even a club show, with a full phone battery, only to be down to ten percent after the first performer has left the stage. Luckily, this ensemble of highly-intelligent people are looking to solve this problem, as they have created a sound-powered cellphone. Along with music, the device can also use traffic, human voices and other common noises to charge your phone thanks to the power of nanogenerators.

Four years ago, a group of Korean scientists proposed that nanowires made from zinc oxide can provide an electrical current when under the slightest form of stress. These nanowires are so sensitive, that even sound waves can cause them to bend, ultimately creating electricity. Using this knowledge, the UK team installed a device into a smartphone that featured the same nanowire technology. After exposing the phone to the everyday noise previously mentioned, it successfully generated 5 volts, which is enough to charge your phone.

While we still love to debate whether cellphones help or hinder the live music experience, there is no doubt that this product will be loved by many upon release. Whether you use it to post a photo of you and your rave buddies to Instagram, take a video of a DJ dropping your favorite song or to just simply text your group of friends after becoming separated from the pack, this phone is for everyone. The sound-powered smartphone is still an ongoing project, but engineer Joe Briscoe said in a press release that, “We (the team) hope that we have brought this technology closer to viability”.

Source: Science Alert