Wouldn’t it be cool if all you needed to do to charge your cell phone was turn it off or not use it for a bit. If we never had to plug in our phones again we could always be in touch. The ability to recharge a phone without plugging it in may sound like science fiction, but researchers at Nokia think that phones may do just that in the next five years.

Nokia researchers have devised a way to charge a cell phone battery using the electromagnetic radiation all around us form Wi-Fi, cell phone, and TV antennas. This method of power generation is similar to the way RFID tags generate their own electricity.

Currently the Nokia prototype device is able to generate a mere three to five milliwatts and according to the researchers, 50 milliwatts of power is needed to charge a phone when it is turned off. Nokia doesn’t see the technology charging a phone alone, but envisions it coupled with solar panels to charge the battery.

[via Technology Review]