Have you ever had your day at the beach ruined by your cell phone or stereo running out of batteries? Such annoyances may soon be a thing of the past. A Spain-based firm, Derma-Volt, is developing a suntan lotion that, when applied, will cause the underlying surface to generate electrical current.
The key to the technology lies in the lotion’s high density of molecules rich in electropositive elements, like cesium. (Chemistry 101 flashback: Electropositivity is the tendency of atoms to “donate” electrons; elecronegativity is the tendency for atoms to “accept” electrons.) Under normal circumstances, such elements would cause serious health hazards. To counteract these risks, Derma-Volt has developed a proprietary chemical interface, the details of which the firm declined to release.
A recent round of lab tests confirmed that a square meter of treated skin is enough to produce 250 milliamperes — or 1/4 an ampere — of DC current. Since the skin of an average person is about 1.5 to 2 square meters in size, researchers believe the product may eventually enable indivduals to generate enough power to charge portable electronics like iPods and GPS units.
“When our technology is ready,” notes Diego Martinez-Velasquez, head researcher at Derma-Volt, “these devices will be consuming a third — or a quarter — of the electricity they now consume. We think that five years from today, it will completely normal to charge your mobile [phone] by just going to the beach and relaxing in the sun.”
A challenge remains, however, in collecting and stepping up the current to generate sufficient voltage. Questions also remain on how, exactly, the devices would interface with the human body.
“Where to plug this in?” asks Tara Hubbent-Mendez, an electronics product designer and tech commentator. “There must be new ways to charge these devices. Wires will be a dead end, for sure. If Derma-Volt becomes huge, wireless charging technology will continue to grow gangbusters.”
Derma-Volt management noted that tight credit has splashed cold water on the pace of research and development. But both principals expressed optimism that their product would make it through the rigorous clinical test process to market.
I’m not sure exactly what to make of all this. But I did find an added bonus to Derma-Volt’s (pending) product: sharks hate electropositive chemicals. Apparently the screw with sharks’ ampullary organ. Just check out this wiki article on electropositive shark repellent. So not only would the lotion charge your iPod, it may also afford a degree of protection against sharks when you take a dip to cool off.
[Editor's note: If you haven't realized already, THIS IS A GETSOLAR APRIL FOOL'S JOKE. HA! We totally got you. Except for that last part about shark repellent, which is -- surprisingly -- a real avenue of research. Other than that, this whole thing was bogus. Happy April, everyone.]
I probably shouldn’t admit this publicly…but I totally bought it. It brought visions of Robocop to mind, but I bought it. I think you might want to copyright “Derma-Volt” before that gets snatched out from under you, too!