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myFC Excess Charger powers handheld devices with micro fuel cell tech
The Swedish company myFC (My Fuel Cell) wants to free you up from power cables with advanced fuel cell technology. Its latest prototype is a charger that uses a compact, flat alternative to the usual fuel cell stack — it's a passive planer fuel cell. It's so thin thanks to the company's remarkable band-aid-like FuelCellStickers, pictured in the gallery below, which are layered together to create this charger.
Add hydrogen, and the result is clean and seemingly effortless passive power, and the only byproduct is water vapor that dissipates into the air. The company doesn't say how you get that hydrogen into this tiny package, or how that hydrogen is manufactured. It does mention that the tech is somehow "independent of hydrogen technology." Insert miracle here.
The company's ambitions go beyond the charger you see here. It envisions its micro fuel cells incorporated inside any cell phone or laptop, eliminating the need for plugging it in at all. Many are dabbling in fuel cell battery tech, but this is the thinnest yet. If these devices are as easy to manufacture as myFC says, this could be big.
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Via myFC
By MicroFuelCell.com at 2:13 PM ON 11/20/08
I love this. I own MicroFuelCell.com and want to start a site with a team of folks that are willing and ready to go, we just need funding.
Say a prayer for us. If you know anyone that could help us, please contact me.
By thexfile at 2:34 AM ON 11/21/08
love it looks realy nice , now al you need is to incorporate some sort of bacteria growing chamber that eats x to get hydrogen and it wil be a sukses.
but on the looks departmant it looks great...
reminds me of the "lachie" portable hardisk i have.
By CoolProducts at 2:55 PM ON 11/21/08
I just had visions of the fuel cells from Quantum of Solace exploding. Man, that wouldn't be fun if your own personal fuel cell exploded!
By mrweatherbee at 4:15 PM ON 11/21/08
Last I heard from myFC, this charger was planned to be a hybrid device including a fuel cell and Li-ion battery. For a hydrogen source it will use metal hydride (like the sodium borohydride in the Medis fuel cell charger already on the market), thus I guess they can say it is "independent of hydrogen technology." I have a Medis cell, and once it's depleted, it's non-refillable and worthless. I also have a Kensington portable power charger based on Lithium-polymer batteries, and it works like a champ. I have yet to see a fuel cell charger that comes close to being competitive with a battery-based device.
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mrweatherbee:
Last I heard from myFC, this charger was planned to be a hybrid device including a fuel cell and Li-ion battery. Fo...More »