Charge your phone with voice

Korean scientists successfully create a metamaterial capable of turning conversations into power supplies for telephones.

Scientists at the Samsung Institute of Technology in South Korea want to harness a form of energy that is sound waves. The team used zinc oxide (the main ingredient in calamine cream) to create a layer of nano-sized wires and clamp it between the two electrodes. They placed the new metamaterial in an environment with sound waves at 100 dB. A normal conversation is about 60-70 dB. The results show that the metamaterial produces a small current of about 50 mV.

' When talking on the phone, the electrical signal turns into an audible signal. The reverse process - turning the sound into a power source - is something that can be done , "said Dr Young Jun Park of the Samsung Institute of Technology.

To operate, a normal cell phone needs a few V, several times the current technology can create.

The 50 mV power generated in the experiment is not that great, but scientists hope the next study will help create a bigger power source. Research by the Samsung Institute of Technology may lead to the emergence of many applications, such as batteries that generate electricity from cell phone conversations, soundproof statues along the highway to produce electricity. from the sound of mechanical means. People can also make use of the noise of cars in the city during peak hours to produce electricity.

The research was published in the journal Advanced Materials .