Tokyo: Bread and potatoes are staple sources of human energy, and now a carbohydrate diet is set also to power the Walkman portable music device.
Japanese technology company Sony, seeking to project an eco-friendly image, said it has developed a prototype battery cell that generates electricity from carbohydrates and sugar.
The test cells have achieved an output of 50 milliwatts, enough to play a Walkman, Sony said.
In a demonstration here on Thursday, a Sony employee poured a sugary sports drink to power a music player and its speakers.
The company said it came up with the battery essentially by studying how living creatures generate energy.
Sugar batteries would be biodegradable and the source material can be found in plants grown around the world.
Plants regenerate through photosynthesis, "underlining the potential for sugar-based bio batteries as an ecologically friendly energy device of the future," a Sony statement said.
The company said it would continue to develop the prototype and study ways to put it into practical use.
Sony, which changed the way the world listened to music with the Walkman, has vowed to rededicate itself to innovation after suffering a troubled patch with the success of Apple's iPod.
Sony was hit last year by the recall of millions of laptop computer batteries over fears that they could catch fire - AFP
(Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, Saturday, Aug.25, 2007)
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