(Credit: iBamboo)

Bamboo has long been cherished in Asia as a food and building material, among its many uses. It can also be fashioned into flutes and other instruments, so it's no surprise that it would make a good speaker for an iPhone.

iBamboo is a foot-long slice of natural bamboo that has been machined, laser-cut, and finished by hand. The wood is hollow and naturally amplifies the iPhone 4's built-in speaker, and requires no electricity.

As seen in the vid below, you simply slot the phone into the wood. It magnifies the sound significantly, including the stereo effect, though the sound quality can't really compare to conventional speaker systems.

Still, it's not bad for an eco-friendly device. And if you're in a jam, you can probably use the iBamboo in all sorts of MacGyver ways.

Brooklyn-based creator Anatoliy Omelchenko wanted to create a product that uses as few resources and energy as possible. He has also made an edible spoon (which comes in three flavors) to cut down on plastic utensils.

Omelchenko uses the iBamboo for meditation but wants to turn it into a product. He's trying to raise $10,000 to develop the woody speaker on Kickstarter. It would be priced at $25-$30.

(Via Akihabara News)