Microwave becomes the new charging source for cell phones

Microwave ovens generally have a single purpose: to heat food and drink. But now, the microwave can soon become a charger for cell phones.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo are taking steps to get the extra energy that the microwave produces during operation. When heated, the microwave oven constantly loses energy which can be better utilized. Engineers Yoshihiro Kawahara and his team have designed a machine to collect and recycle excess energy.

Photos: photo-dictionary.com

Here's how it works: An extraction machine has an antenna that collects any excess energy and channel the energy from one device to another. However, the microwave oven will not be able to replace your phone charger completely.

Accordingly, you will need to reboot your microwave for some time to create any type of rechargeable energy that makes sense. Early tests by Kawahara showed that when running the microwave for 2 minutes, they could get enough energy for kitchen appliances, such as low-power timers, in just a few minutes. In addition, if this work is used for kitchen appliances, it will help reduce carbon without any additional effort.

The idea for Kawahara's experiments comes from NASA, where scientists try to gather extra energy from the sun. A NASA project is still in the process of developing solar energy to turn the earth and keep too much energy out of the sun and then pour it into the earth in the form of radio waves.