Wacky Wireless News: Researchers Use Lightning to Charge Cell Phone

Posted on Oct 3rd 2013

In collaboration with cell phone manufacturer Nokia, researchers at the University of Southampton sparked some excitement within the tech community recently when they charged a Nokia Lumia 925 using a bolt of lightning. The team created the surge by passing 200,000 volts of electricity across a foot-long space of air. Nokia's circuitry stabilized the bolt's power and charged the phone as quick as lightning. That is, in a matter of seconds.

"This discovery proves devices can be charged with a current that passes through the air, and is a huge step towards understanding a natural power like lightning and harnessing its energy," said Neil Palmer, researcher at University of Southampton’s high voltage laboratory.

The results of the experiment also hold promise for remote areas of the world without reliable energy sources according to experts in the field. In understanding lightning, the power can more easily be harnessed to provide a community power source.

This leave us with a bunch of questions including: What would Ben Franklin think?  How could this charging method impact the warranty?  Does this make a rapid charger slow and a lightning charger rapid, I mean fast?  Can there one day be an Apple Lightning, lightning charger?

See the video below for a look at this surge in battery charging research.