A biological solar panel? That idea certainly sounds like a winner no matter which particular angle you look at it from, and it seems that Swiss designer Fabienne Felder might have stumbled upon the next big thing. Basically, Felder has worked with University of Cambridge scientists Paolo Bombelli and Ross Dennis in order to figure out a method of using plants as a kind of “biological solar panel“. The team shared, “Theoretically any photosynthesising plant could be used as a biological solar panel.” As for the technology developed, it has been called Photo Microbial Fuel Cells (Photo-MFCs), which will be able to capture and harness the electrical power of plants. I suppose this is somewhat like a “Matrix” experience for plants instead of us humans powering robots, it would be plants that will power our infrastructure needs.
The team has managed to come up with a prototype of the world’s first moss-powered radio, which goes to some lengths to show off the potential of its Photo-MFCs in action. Why was moss selected? Well, it was due to their photosynthetic process that makes moss rather efficient when it comes to generating electricity, which is not a surprise at all, considering how we have seen a moss powered table in the past.
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