This DIY phone charger only requires running water

If you thought Bear Grylls was cool, you’re gonna love YouTuber Thomas Kim. Kim is a lot like Grylls in that he’s fully capable of escaping a jam while in the wild (like trying to catch Pikachu with 1 percent battery) all while drinking at least 100 percent less urine and avoiding elephant dung entirely — or so it seems.

Kim also cooked up a decidedly low-tech way to charge an iPhone by harnessing a nearby stream to power a generator.

The concept is the same used by hydroelectric dams worldwide, only on a much smaller scale. Essentially, the water turns a water wheel which then creates power to store in a generator. When Kim plugs his iPhone in, the power is then used to charge it. Bam, science!

Kim’s creation uses “plastic bottles, disposable platters 3 Phase stepping motor, [and a] rectifier circuit.”  I can’t say that I know what most of those parts are, but Kim sure seems to understand them and that’s all that matters.

via Gizmodo