Imagine your potted plant being more than just decoration inside your RV. What if it could also be a phone charger? A Barcelona-based company, Arkyne Technologies, has created Bioo Lite, a plant pot that uses the energy generated by the plant’s photosynthesis process to charge cell phones.
A plant that charges your cell phone…
So how does this plant pot become a charging station for your cell phone? The top portion of the plant pot is just a regular pot but the bottom section is where the science happens.
The waste from photosynthesis charge your phone!
The pot takes the biological elements that the plant gets rid of during photosynthesis and feeds it to the microorganisms that are in the plant pot.
Those microorganisms eat the organic matter from the plant and let out hydrogen ions. The hydrogen ions, and oxygen coming in from a vent at the bottom of the pot, combine in a reaction that generates a little bit of electricity.
There are nanowires inside the pot that transfer the electricity through a USB port to charge your phone. It’s a miniature fuel cell!
How much power is generated?
The Bioo Lite plant pot provides 5.0 volts and 1.0 amps of power, which is the same amount of power as a regular USB port. The pot will generate enough power for 2 – 3 charges each day and can charge a cell phone day or night.
The amount of time it will take to charge a phone depends on the phone’s battery capacity, but it will be the same as if you plug your phone into your computer’s USB port.
How hands-on is it?
Once you have a Bioo Lite pot, the only thing you need to do is water and keep your plant alive! Not all plants will produce the same amount of electricity, so it’s recommended you don’t plant a cactus in this pot (water is a crucial part of the electricity generating process).
The Bioo Lite pot doesn’t harm or interfere with the natural process of the plant. There’s also no maintenance required to keep the pot working, just like a normal plant pot. It has been designed so it only outputs electricity when the USB is connected to a cell phone.
How to make this yours?
This 8.2 in. x 4.3 in x 4.3 in pot is available at Indiegogo and will start being shipped in December 2016. It can be purchased for $114 in white, or a specialty-color limited edition for $150.
