The researchers at MIT are currently working on a very interesting technology through which people will be able to recharge mobile devices without the need for a socket. According to the folks at BGR, this would be based on motion and on energy generated by people during physical activities. More specifically, a device might convert mechanical energy into kinetic energy, which will subsequently be used to top up mobile devices.

For this to work, it takes two thin sheets of lithium alloys that are used as electrodes and you separate them with a layer of porous polymer that’s soaked with liquid electrolyte. Thus, lithium ions will be moved between the two layers, and the entire device can be attached to the wrists, to capture mechanical energy.

In extreme conditions, a user could leave the city with the phone’s battery drained and the device would be charged constantly, thanks to the movement.

Considering the fact that the technology is in an early phase, the folks at MIT say it can efficiently charge a smartwatch or other gadgets of small dimensions. MIT professor Ju Li says that right now current devices that use this technology can achieve 15% efficiency at best although he says, in theory, it’s possible they will one day achieve 100% efficiency.