Charge Your iPhone With A Pan

Yes, you read that title correctly – you can now charge your iPhone using the Hatsuden-Nabe Pan Charger over a campfire. We’ve talked about other charging and battery solutions but never a boiling pot of water. [I think it’s more of a pot rather than pan, but the website calls it a pan.]

A company in Japan, TES NewEnergy, has developed a new charging solution for your iPhone. Using thermoelectric strips on the bottom of the pot, heat will be converted to electrical energy and charge your iPhone in 3 – 5 hours. The pot will pump out 5V DC so you can use it for most USB devices – GPS, iPod – and not just your iPhone. It also includes a built-in radio and lantern.

According to AFP:

TES NewEnergy, based in the western city of Osaka, started selling the gadget in Japan this month for 24,150 yen ($299), and plans to market it later in developing countries with patchy power grids.

Chief executive Kazuhiro Fujita said the invention was inspired by Japan’s March 11 earthquake and tsunami that left 23,000 people dead or missing, devastated the northeast region and left hundreds of thousands homeless.

“When I saw the TV footage of the quake victims making a fire to keep themselves warm, I came up with the idea of helping them to charge their mobile phones at the same time,” Fujita said.

$299 is a bit steep to charge your phone but it could be handy when you go camping or in case of a natural disaster.

What other alternative charging solutions do you know of?

[Digital Inspiration via Hack a Day]