A TRANSATLANTIC flight with children has inspired a Cork-based inventor to come up with a solution that can charge consumer electronics using body heat.

Returning from a holiday in Florida this summer the batteries on Noel Daly’s children’s portable games consoles ran out one hour into the eight-hour flight.

“I said to my wife, wouldn’t it be great if we had a cushion product that you could sit on which would take the heat being naturally generated by your body and convert it to battery charge,” says Daly.

Daly, who has significant experience with technical products through his firm EnMed which develops medical bedding products, engaged a German electronics institute to build prototypes of the green technology products which he has called Mi-Power. The plan is to bring two versions to market – a cushion version which could be integrated into the seats of aircraft and cars and a wrist-strap which Daly believes would be ideal for use by soldiers in the field.

The prototype has demonstrated that Mi-Power is ideal for topping up batteries – it can fully charge a 1.5 volt battery which has been half-discharged in four to five hours. Patents are pending for Mi-Power. A separate company has been established to commercialise the products and Daly is seeking to raise €1 million from strategic investors who can help develop industry partnerships.

Daly says he would hope to launch products globally within three years and is hoping to attract interest from consumer electronics companies and mobile phone makers.