MTI Micro, a subsidiary of Mechanical Technology Incoporated, unveiled a portable charger on Wednesday that uses replaceable fuel cartridges.
MTI Micro is not the first, and hopefully won't be the last, company to go to the fuel cell for portable convenient power. (People refer to these new tries as "fuel cell gadget chargers," though to me that seems like it refers to a charger for powering fuel cell gadgets.)
MTI Micro's Mobion prototype uses replacement fuel cell cartridges.
(Credit: MTI Micro)Just this past September, Medis came out with the 24-7 Power pack, a charger powered by a liquid fuel cell, for only $40 with replacement packs for about $20.
The MTI Micro Mobion prototype works with cartridges of the liquid fuel methanol. Each cartridge offers about 25 hours of power. When it's depleted, users just pop it out of the charger and replace it with another one.
Sounds promising, but we're still waiting to hear back from MTI Micro on the pricing of the charger and those cartridges. The company says the MTI Micro Fuel Cell Charger will be available as a product toward the end of 2009.
So, what does 25 hours of fuel cell power get you?
According to MTI Micro, you could use it to fully recharge any cell phone 10 times. You could also use it to power an MP3 player to play 10,000 songs or watch 100 hours of video.
As a person who travels a lot and tires of carrying various adapters, this is definitely something I'd want to try. As I'm generally a carry-on only traveler, it's a good think this "liquid" gadget could be taken onboard.
MTI Micro and Korean manufacturer NeoSolar said on Thursday they will build prototype ultra-mobile PCs powered by fuel cells.
The two companies said they will develop digital devices that use MTI Micro's Mobion fuel cells, which use liquid methanol cartridges as a fuel.
Dr. James Y. Yu, president of NeoSolar, showing off his company's Wibrain ultra mobile PC and the Mobion chip.
(Credit: NeoSolar)The development could lead to external chargers, snap-on attachments or devices with the Mobion fuel cell embedded in them, the companies said.
Fuel cells are being developed for a wide range of applications, from back-up electricity in buildings and data centers to transportation.
Rather drawing on tanks of hydrogen to make electricity in a fuel cell, MTI Micro's Mobion uses methanol. The advantage is that it's a liquid fuel that can be easily transported and store, say backers. The byproduct of using the fuel is water and carbon dioxide, in relatively small amounts.
MTI has signed on a partners to develop GPS devices and digital cameras that use its fuel cells.
Other consumer electronics manufacturers, including Sharp, are also developing direct methanol to fuel cell chargers.
MTI MicroFuel Cells is hoping to use its portable fuel cells in digital cameras.
The company, a subsidiary of Mechanical Technology, announced Wednesday that it is already working with a Japanese optics manufacturer to adapt its integrated Mobion fuel cell technology for digital cameras.
Peng Lim and a fuel cell. Methanol goes in. Water, CO2, and electrons come out.
(Credit: Hanna Sistek, CNET Networks)Fuel cells are being explored as potential power sources for everything from data centers to SUVs. Over the years, MTI Micro has designed products for the industrial and military markets, but as of late, the company has been making a big push on the consumer electronics side, with the hope of replacing lithium ion batteries with miniature methanol-based fuel cells.
Last week, the company debuted a prototype of a fuel cell designed for handheld GPS devices. The deal announced Wednesday will further MTI Micro's push into the realm of digital cameras. (MTI already has a fuel cell that snaps onto the bottom of an SLR camera, which the company says can keep photographers shooting pictures for twice as long a regular lithium ion battery pack.)
"MTI Micro has now signed agreements with two global OEMs that operate within two of the three largest consumer electronic segments--mobile phones and digital cameras," MTI Chief Executive Officer Peng Lim said in a statement.
The duo hopes to have prototypes of the fuel cell-based digital cameras out later this month.
Several other companies--including Sony, Samsung, and Motorola--are working on fuel cell technology for consumer products.
And just as gadget makers are increasingly looking to incorporate fuel cells into their products, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it will allow passengers to carry approved methanol fuel cells and up to two spare fuel cartridges in their carry-on bags.
Attention mountain climbers, hikers, backcountry skiiers, and city dwellers with no sense of direction: new technology could make your handheld GPS device more energy-efficient and let its battery last longer.
Fuel cell manufacturer MTI Micro announced on Friday that it has created a prototype for an embedded fuel cell for handheld GPS devices.
The company said it will provide three times as much power as a set of four AA batteries would, keeping the GPS gadget in question powered for up to 60 hours of continuous use. That's crucial for many users of handheld GPS devices, who are often navigating territory far away from traditional power sources.
CNET News.com first reported that MTI Micro was working on a fuel cell for GPS devices last month. The embedded methanol fuel cell was ultimately unveiled at the 10th Annual Small Fuel Cells Conference in Atlanta.
MTI Micro's GPS fuel cell, which uses the company's Mobion technology, also has a USB interface so that it can be used as a power source for charging other handheld devices, such as cell phones and cameras. Recharging the cell currently involves filling it up with more methanol.
When these will hit the market is unclear: no time estimate was given for when MTI Micro's fuel cells will actually make it into a GPS device that could wind up in your hands.
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