Orange shows Power Wellies phone charger prototype
updated 06:55 pm EDT, Mon June 7, 2010
Orange makes Power Wellies charger prototype
UK wireless provider Orange on Monday partnered with renewable energy experts GotWind on creating boots that generate electricity. The prototype will be revealed at the Glastonbury Festival, and relies on heat from a wearer's feet to charge a connected cell phone. Orange estimates that 12 hours of walking will create enough energy to charge a phone to provide one hour of operation.
The wellies store the energy and charge a phone once it's plugged in at day's end. The power-generating sole relies on the "Seebeck" effect to create energy. The sole houses thermoelectric modules made up of p-type and n-type semiconductor materials that create a thermocouple. Multiple thermocouples are connected electrically to form an array, known as a thermopile. These are sandwiched between two thin ceramic wafers. Heat from the foot and cold from the ground generated electricity.
