back to article Oz Army eyes electric vibro vest to replace batteries

The Australian army is looking to design a miraculous vest which generates electricity by "harvesting" the energy from its wearers' "body vibrations". The remarkable vest, dubbed Flexible Integrated Energy Device (FIED), is intended to reduce the burgeoning burden of batteries that modern soldiers must carry to power their …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    A sexist garment.

    "One day, we might all be powering our phones, iPods, head-mounted tellies etc from wired-up vests drawing juice from our wobbly bits."

    It is quite obvious that women will have a great advantage on this? I assume they'll be generating around 50% more power than their male counterparts.

  2. Robin Kinge
    Coat

    New meaning...

    to 'drop and give me 20' :)

    Robin

  3. Sceptical Bastard

    I'll save a fortune...

    ... if I wire up the wife's arse!

    Does wobbliness + area = wattage? If so, I should be quids in.

    Oh by the way, a tip of the hat for the quote from 'Upon Julia's Clothes' - El Reg erudition at its best.

  4. Stu
    Alert

    Sorry

    Does this not work the same way as those watches that are powered by wrist motions?

    Just multiplied up about 1000 times because of the difference in surface area?

    iPod Touch 8th Gen as powered by a thousand simultaneous hand shandies.

  5. Peter Ingram
    Thumb Up

    I hope it has a double use...

    If the mechanical to electrical conversion is bidirectional, then it would be more interesting to connect a >charged< battery to it than a flat one!

  6. Dan

    the australians

    have an army?

  7. Kevin Thomas
    Coat

    At last!!

    I no longer have to feel embarrassed about my moobs...!

  8. Rob
    Go

    Perpetual leccy with a sex toy....

    ... surely if a lady with a ladies cigar active somewhere on her persons has one of these vests would that not mean an eternal supply of leccy (as long as the chest... sorry I mean vest produces excess over what the vibrator needs).

    <daydream>

    Leccy farms made up of vibrating, groaning women (maybe with splash proof floor as well... and a bit of ventilation for good measure).

    </daydream>

  9. Lee
    Alert

    @Dan

    Gallipoli - brittish generals sent us to the wrong beach, held it for 8 months against the turks who held the heights

    The siege of Tobruk - held against large german armoured force for 6 months

    New Guinea - forced the japs back, the first time the japs lost a battle in WWII

    Vietnam - we were there 3 years before the US, at the request of the South Vietnam Govt.

    Yes we have an army.

    an aussie.

  10. Phil Hare
    Coat

    How about...

    ...Flexible Regenerating Integrated Energy Device , or FRIED?

    Coat + Door = Taxi.

  11. ET Intel
    Coat

    Plans are afoot

    I believe that someone has already come up with the means of re-charging a mobile phone from a small generator built into the heel of a trainer. Now you can walk the talk!

    Camel coloured duffel at the far end. Thanks very much - Taxi !

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    Bloody Oz Boffins and Darpa

    What on earth are QinetiQ formally DERA up to these days, they sold all their boffins off or something? It seems not a week goes by without the secensionists colonies inventing something or trying to invent something related to defence.

    I feel that the mother country is getting left behind in the mad & bad military tech front. Dont our chaps realise its also important to talk a good game too, keeping at least the illusion of competitive advantage.

    I demand what boffins we have left get on the job and we get to hear about it at least once per week.

  13. Jon Tocker
    Coat

    Loved the pic and caption...

    ...nearly killed me.

    I can see it all now:

    Doctor: Mr Tocker, you're getting rather overweight and flabby, I suggest dieting and regualr exercise for those flabby abs.

    Me: But, doc, I'm cultivating that flab so I can power my phone, iPod, Palmtop and watch.

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