nec batteryless remote control: we don’t need no stinkin’ batteries

How many times have you had to get your lazy ass off of the couch to get up and change the channel because the batteries in your remote died. Well thanks to some fine high-tech minds, someday you may never need to worry about changing the batteries in your remote again.

nec_batteryless_remote

This unassuming looking prototype might not look like much, but it’s actually the EZ-REM-0001, the very first remote control to require no batteries at all. Power to the remote control is generated using the tiny vibrations caused by pressing the buttons on the face of the remote. The device uses a combination of a sound vibration power generation device, an RF remote control, and a specialized power supply that can drive the circuit with very little power. This new technology was developed as a joint-venture between Japan’s NEC Electronics and Soundpower.

While this might not seem like much, the notion of powering your electronic gadgets simply by using the power generated through button presses is pretty groundbreaking. Perhaps someday we’ll see other devices that can convert your physical movements into renewable energy for electronics. While I don’t know if vibrations will ever generate enough power to send radio waves, you might someday juice up simple electronic devices by simply pressing the power button.

Cool stuff, Maynard. Very cool stuff, indeed.

[via Tech-On!]

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November 17th, 2009 comments (3): stumble it! digg it! by: technabob


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comments (3):

  1. Pedro says:

    first battery-less? nah, look up “Zenith Space Command”.
    it had a remote control that worked on sonic sounds or something. basically it was a “real” clicker. :D

  2. Bill says:

    I was going to mention the “Space Command” as well. It basically has three spring-loaded hammers that are latched and released to strike metal rods sized to generate specific ultrasonic frequencies when hit. Pretty much like a tuning fork. It worked great, and… no batteries!

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