Charge Your iPhone... With a Cotton Ball?

[Michael Essany]

For several months, we've covered worthwhile developments in the world of prospective solar-powered iPhone chargers. Incredible but true, a renewable, green resource may still prove the ultimate charging mechanism for our mobile gadgets like the iPhone and iPod. The unusual resource in question? A wad of cotton.

Scientists are reporting the development of cotton threads capable of conducting electricity as efficiently and safely as metal wire. The potential benefits, of course, are plentiful, like the ability to charge mobile devices via the cotton-based clothing we wear. I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous. But a team of researchers captained by Cornell University Assistant Professor Juan Hinestroza say cotton can conduct electricity and the possible impact of the discovery could be monumental.

In an interview with UPI, Hinestroza said:

We can definitively have sections of a traditional cotton fabric becoming conductive, hence a great myriad of applications can be achieved. Previous technologies have achieved conductivity, but the resulting fiber becomes rigid and heavy. Our new techniques make our yarns friendly to further processing, such as weaving, sewing and knitting.

So new is the development that its virtually impossible to fathom or visualize how this technological advancement can (or will) be manifested into affordable consumer products in the near future. But this weekend, the above discovery will be on live display at the annual Cornell Design League Fashion Show in Ithaca, N.Y. As it stands, a "solar-powered" dress showing off the technology will be unveiled.

[ccuento]

Say What!

[lfc_]

wow! soon we can charge our phones through our... clothes

[StealthBravo]

interesting...

[iphoneman76]

Now thats what I call Sick!!!!!!

[Dorkenstein909]

that **** is ****** crazy

thats ill sick ma nigga

[ukoda]

Conductive cotton could be useful but I can't see why the talk of charging? You still still need an energy source for that and I don't see what the big problem with wire is anyway? It sounds to me like a terrible summary of the potential use of this technology, or is a solution looking for a problem.

[eightyk]

kinetic energy is what this is pointing at, you could walk down the street or go for a jog to charge your device - i live about 30 min from ithaca; this is this saturday, which conveniently i have off.

[scatman10]

Wearing conductive clothing will totally be amazing/**** with my life lol.
Imagine working on your iPhone and having an electro-static discharge onto the main-board. With the amount of motherboards and computer components I come into contact with every day I can only imagine I'd fry em all!

[DayumQuitPlayin]

I guess this new clothing will come with warning labels: Not recommended for wear during thunderstorms. Maintain a distance of 5 feet to any electrical generators. Possible injury of electro-static shock.

[santaf]

that's crazy... i say we finish that big solar power pannel printer and lay the streets down with them lets finish that and this world will have endless electricity :P

[steve-z17]

That's sweet. I wonder if walking around and running will make it stronger? I also wonder how safe it would be to have something like that on while filling up your car at the local gas station...

[andyharp]

ukoda is right on the money.

[Amraam]

wonder how long it will be before Apple cotton on...



Sorry bad joke

[victis]

i think this is stupid,...... anyone saw cnn lately???


anyone saw the guy who died at the gas pump because of static???

well guess what charging your iphone through your cloths doesnt sound like such a good idea if you are going to be driving a car and buying gas.... lol

[z3r01]

Conductive cotton could be useful but I can't see why the talk of charging? You still still need an energy source for that and I don't see what the big problem with wire is anyway? It sounds to me like a terrible summary of the potential use of this technology, or is a solution looking for a problem.

words right out of my mouth...im not putting energy in the clothes that are direct contact to my skin....

fox news 2015: teenager dies after a short on his ROCA-WEAR jeans shorted while charging his iPhone 9G.....nooooooo thank uuuu

[b3nny]

"man i gotta get out and go for a run..."
"oh yeah? you tryin' to lose weight?"
"naw, i'm tryin' to watch this movie, but my phone is about to die..."


all kidding aside, i believe i've read about the earlier attempts at things like this for the purpose of REAL cloaking camouflage as we've seen in sci fi flicks, say like harry potter's blanket thing, or like the predator's crazy cloaking, but IRL obviously. They've never made anything as cool as predator camo, but i believe they have tried, and the prototypes were neat. But the short answer to making it better was basically that they needed conductive clothing and thats precisely what they're talking about... so it may sound strange now... but you never know this may become something thats not so abnormal a few years from now...

screw charging. screw iphones altogether. i'll be too busy hanging out in mall dressing rooms xD

[yahoowizard]

It's all about the wireless electricity. Soon, they be surging through our walls and we can just walk on the sidewalk, keep our iPhone to the building wall, and watch it get charged.

[Imsorussian]

Tell me when we can charge the iphone by farting on it, that ill like

[Oliva94]

Wtf!