Laptop Thoughts: Potato-powered Computing ...

"Last week, Intel demonstrated a "near-threshold voltage" processor that uses so little energy that it could be powered by solar energy, kinetic energy, or even a potato."

I like the premise here, that since we're really struggling to improve batteries for devices, maybe a better approach is to get devices to need less power. Intel has displayed a new microprocessor processor (code-named Claremont), running at 10 millivolts, or about 1% of that used by today's processors (1V). Currently powered by a solar cell the size of a postage stamp, scientists think that these devices could be powered by kinetic energy from walking, solar energy, or even from a potato. They don't explain the potato charging. While this is a bit in the future, imagine how cool it would be to recharge a phone or other mobile device simply keeping it in a pocket while walking. Time to invest in potato futures?