@csl5049: Oreck? Please, they aren't even in the same league! Fight!

@TheCrudMan: Haha, I think fanboys only come in pairs (like mac vs PC or XBOX vs PS3).

@etimy: First of all, you are talking to a PhD chemist so you should be more careful when throwing around terms like "thermodynamically impossible". It is possible.

@bobbobato: Not only did I not claim these were worthless, I explicitly said they had value as inspiration. My point is that they are outside what I believe is the scope of this website. Also some of the designs are pretty bad. See: plant car.

@minibeardeath: No. I've read this blog for years and most of these designs have no prototype for reasons as simple as they could never work. A plant powered car? Seriously?

@minibeardeath: I see your point but let's be clear about one thing: the students haven't made "technology", they made drawings. I think they have value to inspire inventors but Gizmodo is about consumer electronics and these posts are so far off topic that it kind of bugs me. Just RSS filler if you ask me. Most of…

@Brought_to_you_by_CarlsJr: Touche, well played. I do love the quick-charging promise of capacitors (which are technically not batteries but whatev, I know what you are saying).

Meanwhile in the world of battery technology.... zzzzz.

@Wade McGillis: Sure these articles are fine but what about those great articles about fanciful design student musings that could never work, like the plant powered car?

@coketown: Wow. Yes, yes it does.

@alienshards: So true.

I don't know what is worse, all the people making dildo comments or the people suggesting those commentors are childish. *looks at picture again* OK, this really does look like a Bondi blue mac era adult toy.

@xamenek: To be fair, those McD fries are considered by most to be the best of the fast food fries.

So what happens to the potato at the end of all this? Well the starch of the potato (what we use as fuel) would still be there so we could eat it. However, I wouldn't. One reason is that zinc ions are being absorbed by the potato. A lot of them. Zinc overdose results in low red blood cell count and reduced immune…

@dirtlamb5: We derive energy from the potato by metabolizing the carbohydrates. This battery does not use up those carbohydrates. You could eat it if you didn't mind Zn and Cu ions (hint: should avoid).

First, let's correct a seemingly minor but important issue: the power does not come from the potato. Electricity is generated when zinc is oxidized, releasing two electrons that travel through the wire to the copper electrode where they convert hydrogen ions to hydrogen gas.

@TaliaBurlington: Oh boy. That's one guy you don't want agreeing with you.

GOOOOOOOAAAARRRRGGGG!!!!

"human-skinned lizard Joe Lieberman" <- this

@newtype: Considering it is the same price as an unsubsidized 32 Gb iphone, it seems kinda reasonable to me.