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Sugar High: Sony's New BioBattery |
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Dr. Samuel Says -
Smart Design
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Written by Dr. Samuel Centralia, Ph.D., D.D.S., Esq.
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Friday, 07 September 2007 |
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Something about the concept of alternative batteries appeals to eco-friendly tech-nerd inside of me. We recently discussed the paper battery initiative , and now I come across this new prototype initiative by Sony concerning batteries that run on sugar .
 Well, they run on glucose solution, technically. And as of now they can
only generate a very small amount of power. But still, considering the
rather alarming amount of sugar in the typical household, the potential
is frankly awesome. It works like this: The battery breaks down the
sugar -- a natural energy-producing substance, after all -- by running
the solution through a cathode structure that…. On second thought,
let's just quote from the press release itself. I rather admire this
kind of technobabble promotional copy:
"In order to realize the world's highest power output, Sony developed a
system of breaking down sugar to generate electricity that involves
efficiently immobilizing enzymes and the mediator (electronic
conduction materials) while retaining the activity of the enzymes at
the anode. Sony also developed a new cathode structure which
efficiently supplies oxygen to the electrode while ensuring that the
appropriate water content is maintained. Optimizing the electrolyte for
these two technologies has enabled these power output levels to be
reached."
Sensing, perhaps, that the above explanation leaves something to be
desired in terms of clarity, Sony has provided a demonstration video on
the website . Using several batteries connected serially, you can watch
as the glucose solution powers an MP3 player and a small radial fan.
One neat trick involves using a standard sports energy drink to provide
the glucose -- just dump that Gatorade right into the battery. Wild.
Also be sure to appreciate the surreal Japanese synth-pop accompanying
the video. That's the kind of production value you like to see in a
multimedia press release.
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