Toshiba develops world's smallest fuel cell

Toshiba develops world's smallest fuel cell

TOKYO, Japan - Toshiba Corp. said June 24 it has developed a prototype of the world's smallest direct methanol fuel cell (in handout photo) that can power handheld devices such as digital audio players and wireless headsets for mobile phones. The fuel cell is 56 millimeters long and 22 mm wide, or about the size of a thumb, and weighs 8.5 grams. It has power output of 100 milliwatts and is capable of powering an MP3 music player for 20 hours on a single 2 cc charge of concentrated methanol.

Forest Sea's long-range wireless terminal "Geochat".

Forest Sea's long-range wireless terminal "Geochat".

Forest Sea (Koto-ku, Tokyo) will launch a long-range wireless terminal called "Geochat" this fall to prevent mountain climbers and forestry workers from getting lost. It is capable of two-way communication of up to 200 kilometers in a clear environment with no obstacles. Even when cell phones are out of range, such as in mountainous areas, workers can carry the terminal to send location information and emergency requests. The company is aiming for sales of more than 5 billion yen in the communication terminal business in five years. 920 megahertz (mega means one million) band radio waves with an output of 250 milliwatts will be transmitted over a long distance. It can reach more than 200 kilometers in a clear environment. Three repeaters were able to cover the mountainous area of Hakone, sending text of about 30 characters and location information from the Global Positioning System (GPS). Photo taken on July 18, 2019, credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun / Kyodo News Images

Toshiba develops world's smallest fuel cell

Toshiba develops world's smallest fuel cell

TOKYO, Japan - Toshiba Corp. said June 24 it has developed a prototype of the world's smallest direct methanol fuel cell (in handout photo) that can power handheld devices such as digital audio players and wireless headsets for mobile phones. The fuel cell is 56 millimeters long and 22 mm wide, or about the size of a thumb, and weighs 8.5 grams. It has power output of 100 milliwatts and is capable of powering an MP3 music player for 20 hours on a single 2 cc charge of concentrated methanol. (Kyodo)