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Ever been so frustrated with your cell phone's dying battery you could scream? Well, someday your yells of frustration might actually fix the problem.
Nokia has partnered with Queen Mary University of London to develop a method of charging phones using sound waves.
The device is roughly the size of the Nokia's Lumia 925. It uses zinc oxide to convert vibrations caused by sound into electricity, which then charges the phone's battery.
Gizmag writes the device is capable of producing five volts of electricity which is plenty to charge a phone. All the sound the device needs is "everyday background noise" such as traffic, music and voices. Screams not required.
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One of the researchers who constructed the device hopes it will have long-term implications for technology: "Being able to keep mobile devices working for longer or do away with batteries completely by tapping into the stray energy that is all around us is an exciting concept. ... We hope that we have brought this technology closer to viability."
Although, the Nokia-Queen Mary University device isn't the only that uses sound waves to charge phones.
In 2011, British mobile phone company Orange tested a T-shirt that uses a similar method to convert sound waves to electricity intended to charge phones.
Another device, developed by uBeam, uses the reverse method to charge phones by converting electricity into sound and transmitting it to a cell phone.
All these devices are in varying stages of development. There's no word when, if ever, they will be available to consumers.
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