A Swedish company has produced a pocket-sized hydrogen fuel cell, which will allow users to charge cell phones and other devices using just water and a little hydrogen fuel. The H3 charger will be released by myFC in Scandinavia in December, globally in 2011, and will cost about $45. The cell merely requires a few tea-bag-sized packets containing hydrogen and a small amount of water and will product electricity for immediate use or storage in a lithium-ion battery.
While the use of the H3 for hikers and others in the wilderness is obvious, the device could also have a much more far-reaching effect in providing cell service in the developing world. “To our knowledge, there are about 1 billion people in developing countries that actually have cell coverage, and if they had a cell phone they could use it,” myFC's CEO tells LiveScience. It's a lack of reliable electricity prevents these people from using phones—and the H3 could fill that gap.
(More cell phones stories.)