Charge your cellphone with a plant

Who hasn’t been in a situation where they really need to use their phone to find any address or make an important call only to find out it turned off because it didn’t have any more battery. With the irruption of smartphones, mobile internet and all the apps that we constantly use, the cellphone battery doesn’t exceed the 8 hours duration.A similar situation was the kick-off for an idea that can change our energy sources and be a real step forward for the World Science.
“You ran  out of battery again? If only we could get power (energy) from plants… “, This was the thought three friends had on the University campus. Evelyn Aravena, Camila Rupcich and Carolina Guerrero, who after this, started to research and see how viable this idea was: “there are no sockets, but there are plenty of trees…”
After three years of arduous research, they succeeded in their mission and the result was  E-Kaia, energy of the Earth in Greek.
E-kaia (a product that goes against all logic in the world of electronics) consists in a biological circuit that channeled the natural energy and allows portable electronic items, mainly cellphones, charged with energy from a plant, without relying on a power grid.
This “made in Chile” discovery, its shaking many scientific precepts; this is a power plant that is in a common pot, with normal soil, but inside has a circuit with some exits to the surface. The qualities of the circuit is the great secret of all. The mystery will remain under lock and key until May, when they get the patent, and while negotiate with interested in the product.
Its creators Evelyn and Camila, engineering students in performance computing in DuocUC Valparaíso, and Carolina student of industrial engineering in the UNAB, presented its innovative and revolutionary invention in the contest JUMP Chile, at the end of 2013, where not only it obtained the first place, but also the awe and admiration from all  those present.
“They presented a prototype where everyone could see how a cell phone was loaded through a plant. I have to say that it was impressive to see its creation, “now we hope to connect them with different agents in the industry and that they can make their first sales. It is a project with a great potential.” “says Natalia Moncada Executive Coordinator of the competition and emprendeUC.
Of course, getting this far has not been easy for these girls, not only because of the hard work and research they had to make, but also the mistrust and lack of support to their project: “Many doubted and laughed at us for believing in something that did not exist”.
The Plant delivers 5 volts and 600 milliamps of power, which allows you to charge a cell phone in an hour and a half (and without causing any damage to the Plant) ” we have tried various types of trees and our basic prototype delivers power without altering the natural process of the plant” ensure.
Is clean energy that is obtained from what the earth gives us, without destroying it. The next step for these entrepreneurs is to increase the power of the circuit and being able to charge computers, televisions or emergency lights, but their dream is to generate enough energy from a tree to support all the artifacts of a House.
Sources:
LUN, DuocUC (Chile)
For more info visit:
www.taringa.net
www.lun.com