Self-Contained Battery Concept Charges Itself

This rechargeable battery concept couldn't be simpler. Grab the top and bottom of the dead battery and wind it up! The spring inside the battery housing then turns and charges the power cell inside. Designed by Yeon Kyeong Hwang and Mieong Ho Kang, these wind-up batteries could charge anywhere without external power.

The top half of the battery is the actual power cell, described in the design as Ni-mH. The bottom half twists and loads a spring inside the barrel, which as it unwinds turns a generator that charges the battery. Of course, the battery can also be charged with an external charger to save you from having to wind it up all the time.

Assuming the concept would actually work from an engineering standpoint, it looks simple and brilliant. Already you can purchase devices that run on wind-up power, such as radios and flashlights. Turning the lever stores energy in a large metal spring. As the spring unwinds, a generator creates power to receive emergency radio information or your favorite stations.

The concept pictured is a AA battery, which would be relatively easy to wind up. Not sure how this idea could be adapted to other batteries, such as a square 9-volt. Maybe a wind-up external charger for all battery types? This would be great but the advantage of the Charge Battery is that it's self-contained. Built-in grips on the sides of the battery make it easy to wind outdoors or anywhere.

Hopefully this concept can be manufactured for use. If more electronic products used this old-fashioned technology we wouldn't have to search for our battery chargers so often.