The Microwave Could Be Your New Phone Charger

The microwave typically has one use: heating leftovers. But now, it could soon be a handy cellphone charger, as well

Researchers from the University of Tokyo are working on ways to harvest the wasted energy that microwaves produce while they run. When heating, microwaves continuously lose energy that could be put to better use. Engineer Yoshihiro Kawahara and his research team have designed a machine to gather and recycle that wasted energy

Here's how it works: The harvester has an antenna that picks up any excess energy, and channels it to other devices. However, the microwave probably won't replace your cellphone charger just yet. Federal regulations limit the amount of energy that is allowed to leak from a microwave to "far below the level known to harm people," according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Read more...