New LCD Tech Could Make Self Charging Android Handsets a Reality
Some mad scientists over on UCLA’s engineering team have effectively developed a new type of LCD using photovaltaic polarizers that recycle energy from sunlight or a device’s own backlight to charge itself. Pretty epic, right? If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, this could be exactly what Android ordered.
Youssry Boutros, program director for the Intel Labs Academic Research Office, which supported the research explains:
“The polarizing organic photovoltaic cell demonstrated by Professor Yang’s research group can potentially harvest 75 percent of the wasted photons from LCD backlight and turn them back into electricity. The strong collaboration between this group at UCLA Engineering and other top groups has led to higher cell efficiencies, increasing the potential for harvesting energy. This approach is interesting in its own right and at the same time synergetic with several other projects we are funding through the Intel Labs Academic Research Office.”
Before you get your hopes up, it could be quite sometime before we could see this technology (or something just like it) adopted by handset manufacturers. Still, Professor Yang remains hopeful:
“In the near future, we would like to increase the efficiency of the polarizing organic photovoltaics, and eventually we hope to work with electronic manufacturers to integrate our technology into real products. We hope this energy-saving LCD will become a mainstream technology in displays.”
Me too, Mr. Yang. Me too…
[Via Engadget]