Hatsuden-Nabe is the name of a device that can charge up your cellphone by using wasted heat. It’s available in Japan since yesterday and it surely attracts a lot of hikers and adventurers, who think this could save their lonesome journeys.
The device manufactured by TES NewEnergyCorporation practically uses a thermoelectric material to transform heat into electricity. A single unit is able to charge up an iPhone in 3 to 5 hours, depending on the heat intensity. That’s more or less the time you’ll spend when you plug it to the grid charger.
The company claims their Hatsuden-Nabe thermoelectric charger can be used in open fire, since it can withstand 900 °F.
At the price of $280, I think it’s a bit expensive for some budgets, but remember the product is only in its infancy. If demand rises, it’ll surely cost no more than those Chinese flashlights you can find everywhere.
The Hastuden-Nabe is, however, a green product. It’s one of the few products that, besides solar cells, can actually be used anywhere and can save CO2 and maybe even your life, if it depends on an emergency phone call.
It seems like a very cool product. But it’s hard for me to understand how this product could save CO2 when it operates over an open fire, a source of CO2 and other harmful emissions.