Who needs electrical outlets when you can recharge your cell phone with a swing of your hips? A backpack invented by a University of Pennsylvania biology professor can harness the bounce in your step to power cell phone, GPS or even an MP3 player. The idea could eventually liberate explorers, soldiers and disaster workers from the need to recharge, or plug in. The concept, published in Friday's issue of the journal Science, evolved from a research project that biologist Lawrence Rome began with the Navy after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001. The 12-to-15 pound backpack is still a long way from stores, he said, but one day might be had for $300 or $400. "Whenever you hear in the news about disasters, everybody's cell phone is dying," Rome said. In tests his backpack got up to 7.4 watts - enough to power a phone and a number of other devices simultaneously. So far, only one prototype has been built. As a biologist, Rome specializes in muscle physiology in animals and had been concentrating on ways fish and frogs move. He hadn't been thinking about backpacks for soldiers until the Navy came to him a few years ago to learn more about how fish swim, he said. He thought they might incorporate the biomechanics of fish into the design of more maneuverable submarines or fish-like underwater robots. Then he discovered that for years, the Navy had been working on another interesting problem - creating something you'd wear in your shoe to charge electronic devices. Getting electricity in the field poses a serious problem for soldiers, Rome said. "These guys go to war with 80 pounds on their backs and they may also need 20 pounds of batteries to power a GPS, communication devices and night vision goggles." Life or death may depend on how what they choose to carry.
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