The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, MD, has licensed two patents to Genesis Electronics Group, Inc., covering a compact power source that produces electricity from solar energy. Designed to be thin and extremely flexible, the self-contained power source can fit a variety of applications — even taking the shape of the device it powers. Florida-based Genesis plans to integrate the technology into solar-powered chargers for cell phones and related hand-held electronic devices. The company is finalizing development of a solar-powered charger called SunBlazer, which it expects to release within the next several months. “The invention enables batteries in small electronic appliances to be charged and deliver power more effectively,” explains APL’s Joe Suter, PhD, principal staff scientist in the APL’s space department and co-inventor of the device. “You can even shrink the size of the battery.” The licensing agreement gives Genesis limited exclusive worldwide rights to the U.S. patents, with the potential for APL to provide research and development assistance.
Source: Corridor, Inc.