Could you imagine a world where you only had to look for the nearest houseplant tocharge up your smartphone? Believe it or not, plant-based electronic charging could be a reality much sooner than you think, thanks to Bioo Lite a new piece of technology that uses USB charger to harnesses the energy produced by plants via photosynthesis.

The USB charger is attached to a biological battery system that sits in the bottom of the pot beneath the plant. Thanks to the magic of water and bacteria within the system, electricity can be generated in one of the greenest and most energy efficient ways possible. Simply use any USB smartphone cable to plug into the USB port, which is disguised as a rock and sits at the plant’s base to begin charging your device.

According to Barcelona-based Arkyne Technologies (the creators of the charging system), electricity is collected around the clock so you can power up your deviceday or night. Depending on the type of plant being used and how well you’re able to stick with maintaining it, a single potted plant can produce anywhere from 3 to 40 watts of power, allowing you to fully charge up your device 2 to 3 times every day.

The charger also has equal output to charging up your device via USB from a laptop or desktop computer, so you don’t have to worry about waiting around forever for it to be fully charged. All you have to do is keep watering your plant as needed and you can keep using the charger for years. Even if your plant ends up dying, you can always remove the system and use it with another plant.

Although different types of plants will generate power at different rates, any potted plant can be used with the charger. The creators only recommend against opting to usethe charger with a cactus. Cacti don’t need a lot of water!

Now you might be wondering, if the system is relying on the plantfor power, doesn’t that harm it in some way? Arkyne Technologies claim that the the system doesn’t force the plant to do or create anything else or anything more than what it already does naturally. The technology used by the system and the process itself doesn’t stress or damage the plant in any way.

So, would you be interested in getting one of your own? Well, it looks like you may have to wait at least another year or two. The Bioo Lite project was launchedon Indiegogo as a crowdfundingand just recently closed.

Backers who got in while it was open were able to reserve a Bioo charging system of their own for about $135.Production is scheduled to start in September to deliver the systems to backers first and the creators hope to push the system into the commercial market sometime in 2017.

There certainly seems to be a lot of skeptics, which isn’t surprising, but hey any innovative technology that encourages people to have more plants seems worth a try!

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Photo Credit: Arkyne Tech via YouTube

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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This Eco-Friendly Smartphone Charger Generates Electricity from Plants