Nokia E-Cu by Patrick HylandOctober 6th, 2010

This mobile phone concept by London designer Patrick Hyland can be charged by the heat in your pocket.

An integrated thermogenerator converts heat from any source into electrical energy to charge

the phone, whether while being carried in your pocket or placed on top of a radiator.

The case of the phone is made of copper and features engraved heat-sinks in the shape of dried earth.

Here’s more from Hyland:

Nokia E-Cu (E for environment, Cu for Copper)Heat-conductive charging systemCreating a charger-free cellphone future

Annually, unwanted phone chargers produce 51,000 tons of waste in addition to the greenhouse gases created by the production of the electricity needed to charge them.

The Nokia E-Cu is a mobile phone charged by sources of heat therefore eradicating the need for a charger. The phone has a thermogenerator integrated inside, which converts heat energy into electric potential energy.

It is surrounded by copper with engraved heatsinks in a dry earth pattern which represents the effect of heat on the natural environment. The phone can be charged by placing it on any source of heat e.g. a radiator, even inside a pocket.