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Under the CES Radar:
Energy Harvesting Cell Phone Charger Is a Harbinger of Self Charging Consumer Devices

January 13, 2010 - RCA Airenergy cell phone chargers will "harvest" and store stray WiFi energy.  RCA introduced working prototypes at this month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Although the Tesla sounding claims seemed to remain under the mainstream media's radar, the first $40 commercial units are expected by summer. RCA claims it is developing a version integrated into cell phone batteries to make chargers a thing of the past. The technology may eventually power smart phones that charge themselves. Now that's a droid! RCA's representative claimed his device was able to provide a 30 percent charge to a visitor's cell phone in about 90 minutes. Energy harvesting is not a new concept. In the 1980's, rumors of technology capable of self-charging secret listening devices or "bugs" circulated. In recent years, engineers have applied newer piezoelectric materials to electro-mechanical energy harvesting systems. eHarvesting ideas have included capturing the energy from the boots of marching soldiers and even using piezoelectric layers in skis or snowboards to heat boots and gloves.