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Sony Runs Walkman Off Sugar-Based Bio Battery

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the sweeeeeet dept.

StonyandCher writes "Sony has created a battery that produces electricity by breaking down sugar. The bio cell, which measures 39 millimeters cubed, delivers 50mW — a world record for such a cell, according to the company. 'In the bio cell sugar-digesting enzymes at the anode extract electrons and hydrogen ions from the glucose. The hydrogen ions pass through a membrane separator to the cathode where they absorb oxygen from the air to produce water as a byproduct. The electrons flow around the circuit outside the device producing the electricity needed to power it.'"

8 of 204 comments (clear)

  1. Re:And just why won't this work for.... by dapsychous · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can't wait for the Dell-Biobattery recall: My laptop popped, then began to digest itself on the desk.

  2. Screw that by Arthur+B. · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can convert glucose to energy very efficiently, just give me a crank.

    --
    \u262D = \u5350
    1. Re:Screw that by jollyreaper · · Score: 5, Funny

      I can convert glucose to energy very efficiently, just give me a crank. *sigh* Leave it to the Slashdot crowd to turn every story into a masturbation joke.
      --
      Kwisatz Haderach
      Sell the spice to CHOAM
      This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
  3. Let me be the first to say... by Davenport+Spiff+jr · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sweet!

  4. Food subsidies by vlad_petric · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If food prices are driven up, many poor countries are in fact going to benefit. With their very cheap labor, they could, at least in theory, produce cheap food and even export it. However, food subsidies in the developed world essentially kills their markets. Not only are they not able to export, they end up importing cheaper, subsidized food.

    --

    The Raven

  5. Re:And just why won't this work for.... by iamdrscience · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This battery can only output 50mW of power. A laptop could easily be consuming 50W when it's rather busy so to satisfy those requirements you would need a thousand of these cells. The article says that the cells are 39mm squared so that would take up a volume of over two cubic feet (somebody check my math on this). Similarly, the size you would need to power a car is also far too large.

    Besides that though, the article makes no mention of how much power the battery actually holds, i.e. who cares if it can put out 50mW if it can only do it for two minutes.

  6. Re:Please put all "That's pretty sweet" jokes here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's Sweet!

    1600 Pensylvania Avenue
    Washington DC 20500

    ask for "W"

  7. Re:Battery Product Name? by skeevy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sony refers to the sugar powered battery as a "Teenager".

    Yes, but it's been conclusively determined that you can't get any useful work out of a "Teenager" no matter how much sugar you feet it.

    Now if you could harness the power that comes from the laser-like glare of contempt they constantly produce, you could probably power a small town...