Radio waves may eliminate the need for conventional batteries

Another item that may or may not be prophetically or biblically significant (probably not), but I find it interesting, as reported by BBC News, February 11, 2012:

Researchers at the University of Bedfordshire have developed a new technique for powering electronic devices.

The system, developed by Prof Ben Allen at the Centre for Wireless Research, uses radio waves as power.

Believed to be a world first, the team claims it could eventually eliminate the need for conventional batteries.

The university has now filed a patent application to secure exclusive rights to the technique.

The new technique uses the "waste" energy of radio waves and has been developed as part of the university's research into "power harvesting".

Prof Allen said that as radio waves have energy - like light waves, sound waves or wind waves - then in theory these waves could be used to create power.

"The emerging area of power harvesting technology promises to reduce our reliance on conventional batteries," he said.

"It's a really exciting way of taking power from other sources than what we would normally think of."

The team are now waiting for the results of the patent application to secure recognition of the technique...

..."Power harvesting has a really important part in our future because, just in this country, we dispose of somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 tonnes of batteries in landfill sites every single year - that is toxic chemicals going into the ground.