Sony Develops Buckyball Fuel Cell

Jonny Marx wrote to mention a post over at Digital World Tokyo detailing Sony's latest fuel cell technology, which uses Fullerenes (Buckyballs) to achieve a lot of power in a little space. From the article: "... The technology looks like a significant step in the right direction toward the development of DMFCs powerful enough to supplement or replace lithium batteries for handheld gadgets. Methanol leakage and power output have been the devilish details that have stopped DMFCs becoming widespread, along with regulations that are still being hammered out to allow methanol to be carried aboard passenger aircraft, and a methanol fuel infrastructure, i.e. being able to pick up refills at Japan's ubiquitous konbini (convenience stores) for example."

Comments

Carry a fuel can with you?

[jimmyhat3939]

Is it just me, or is anyone else weirded out by the notion of carrying around a tin full of methanol to power up your gadgets? Can you really imagine being, say, on a plane or in a subway and whipping out a can of this stuff to "top off" your gadgets?

Realistically, I think they'll have to develop some kind of disposable delivery system, maybe something that looks like batteries, that you jam into your gadget and throw away when it's out of fuel (or maybe it could be refillable). Question would be, how much fuel do you need to give you, say, 15 hours of play time? Would it fit in one or two double-A size batteries, or would you need to carry around a jug of the stuff?

Re:Carry a fuel can with you?

[David Hume]

Is it just me, or is anyone else weirded out by the notion of carrying around a tin full of methanol to power up your gadgets?

The year is 1908. One man on horseback is talking to another men on horseback as they see their first Model T Ford.

Sam says, "Is it just me, or is anyone else weirded out about driving around while sitting on top of a tank of gasoline?"

"No, partner, it ain't just you. Flicker may gave me trouble at times, but at least I know he's not going to explode," replies Dusty.

Sam, thinks and says, "It's not like I'm I'm afraid or nothing, but it looks like those things can go pretty damn fast, and there are more and more of them every day. Can you imagine the things running into each other, each loaded with gasoline? Can you imagine the fires and such?"

I'd buy when it becomes available...

[trudyscousin]

...but I've decided to cut my nose off to spite my face by boycotting Sony because of Sony BMG's recent DRM-o-rama.

Seriously, this is the Sony I once knew and loved, when it did things like this all the time. Maybe those of us boycotting the entire company because of last month's debacle should adjust things a bit?