Remember Doc Brown's (Christopher Lloyd) Mr. Fusion on the movie "Back to the Future"? The one that would convert garbage to usable energy on the DeLorean? I remember thinking that would be one hella cool thing to have. Well.. to my amazement, it now could very well happen.

Scientists have developed a way to power robots and PCs using batteries powered by food scraps.

 

According to the New Scientist, researchers at the University of the West of England in Bristol have developed a microbial fuel cell about the size of a mobile phone that could be powered by organic household waste.

 

The bacteria-driven cell, which would cost about $15, directly converts biochemical energy into electricity. It uses E. coli bacteria to break down carbohydrates and release hydrogen atoms.

 

The organic battery can produce eight times as much energy as other microbial fuel cells.