Fuel cell powered speaker and mobile phone charger by Sony
At a glance it looks like a cool looking coffee maker but this exhibited prototype by Sony at FC Expo in Tokyo is Sony’s cordless speaker that is powered by its embedded DMFC (Direct Methanol Fuel Cell). In its cordless speaker Sony has employed four fuel cells and a backup Li-ion battery to compensate for the low power output of DMFC.The 270cc methanol tank which has been artistically placed under the fuel cells has been accompanied by LEDs just under it to illuminate its methanol content in different colors. According to Sony the speaker can be used for a full year without any needs to refill the methanol tank under the assumption that the user will use the speaker for 2 to 3 hours a week on viewing DVDs as an example. The maximum output of this prototyped speaker is 10W but the four DMFCs are capable of powering the speaker for up to 2W and in case where the output exceeds the 2W threshold the Li-ion battery will take care of the rest. As for the audio part, the audio data will be transmitted wirelessly to the speaker. Read more
