There is now a phone that does not need a battery to run and uses the air to power itself. So if you are scared of your smartphone exploding due to battery issues, this may be the explosion-free future you're looking for?

Researchers from the University of Washington have developed the world's first battery-free phone. However, there is one catch, the sound quality on this phone is as shitty as it can get. On the plus side, you won't ever have to charge your phone as it uses light and radio waves from your surroundings to power itself. 

© YouTube

“We've built what we believe is the first functioning cell phone that consumes almost zero power,” co-author Shyam Gollakota, an associate professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering told the official university blog. 

The researchers have come up with a smart way to harness the power and in the same light, they have found a nifty way to get rid of the battery. According to the post on the blog “this process consumes so much energy that it's been impossible to design a phone that can rely on ambient power sources.”

© YouTube

The researchers found a way to use tiny vibrations on the phone's microphone and speaker which in turn is used to encode incoming and outgoing signals. The drawback from this design is that one cannot send and receive signals at the same time. This means the call has to hold in a send or receive button (like a traditional handheld radio) while sending or receiving audio signals. Basically, it is like a walkie-talkie without any batteries. 

Currently, the cell phone harvests its energy from radio signals that are sent out by a base station and a tiny solar cell it has embedded within the body. The researchers further add that these base stations can be installed in WiFi routers and cell towers as well so that one can move with the device. You can check out the video below to get a better idea on how this phone works:

Source: The Next Web