Csiro Power Jacket Charges Your Portable Devices

Posted on November 8, 2007 by Jamie Slaughter, with 10220 views

Following on from our article on the fire protection suit, we bring to you another jacket, which offers something similar, though with other benefits. The 'Power Jacket' is a new innovation developed by CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization), an Australian corporation, which not only protects but is capable of charging your portable electronics. The organisation recently received a grant of up to 4.4 million Australian Dollars, in an effort to develop a Flexible Integrated Energy Device which can be embedded in an item of clothing.

The Integrated Energy Device is intended to self-generate electrical energy, which in turn powers the wearer's devices, eradicating the necessitate for a power plug and cord. The jacket will be a breath of fresh air, for hill walkers for example, who can remain fully charged despite how far they travel. Never again fear your I-pod cutting out, or your mobile battery dying in the middle of an important call.

The jacket works by transforming the motions and movements of the body, and channelling these vibrations to form electrical energy from kinetic energy. The jacket consists of two major sections, labelled red and blue on the diagram. The red area, which resides over the shoulder, is responsible for the energy transformation process, which continually squeezes and deforms energy.

The blue areas which are located across the back and front of the vest will host a set of durable, lightweight batteries, which will store the charge and pass this onto any connected devices. No release date has been announced as of yet, since the prototype has only just been developed.