New self-charging AA and AAA batteries are about to be introduced by Brother Industries Ltd. This "Vibration-powered Generating Battery," as the company labeled it, uses electromagnetic induction to generate power. The faux battery body houses the generator and a 500mF capacitor. Currently, the AA-size generator produces about 10-180mW.The target use is for devices that don't always draw power, like remote controls or flashlights. The output sounds fairly weak in the press release, but hopefully the technology will improve before launch, and battery waste will be a thing of the past.
If you are in Tokyo around July 21-23, 2010, be sure to check out Brother Industries's booth at the Techno-frontier 2010 Expo.
Cabe
