"Mobile phone users or iPod addicts could soon be spared the hassle of having to recharge batteries by a backpack that converts energy from walking into electricity," reports CNN.
"Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania devised the technology after being asked by the U.S. military to come up with a light rechargeable battery that could be used by troops one the battlefield."
CNN has a photo of Professor Larry Rome, who led the research, wearing the power-generating backpack. So how does it work?
The backpack consists of bag suspended from a fixed frame by vertical springs. As the bag is moved up and down by the wearer's walking motion it creates enough mechanical energy to drive a generator mounted on the frame.
Meanwhile the Globe & Mail adds:
Dr Rome said the prototype weighs 10 to 15 pounds, but his team hopes to bring the weight down to about six or seven pounds, slightly heavier than a normal large backpack.
