Ann Makosinski of the University of British Columbia (my alma mater!) found two very common problems among her fellow students. Their smartphones were always running out of power and their cups of coffee were always too hot. Addressing both of these concerns all at once, the 18-year-old invented what she calls the eDrink. And she got to show it off on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon too.

The basic idea here is that the travel mug is able to capture some of the residual heat from the piping hot drink inside and convert that into usable electricity. The electricity is then sent through the USB port on the bottom and, presto change-o, you’ve got a little bit of a trickle charge for the mobile device of your choosing. The eDrink isn’t Makosinski’s sole claim to fame. She had previously appeared on Jimmy Fallon to show off a flashlight powered by your body heat. She invented that when she was just 15 years old.

The eDrink differs from previous inventions, like the Epiphany onE Puck, in that it seems to be taking in heat from the entirety of the mug’s interior rather than just the bottom. I’d have to question whether it’s a good idea to mix hot drinks with electricity and how washing this mug may damage some of the electronics, but Ann Makosinski was granted $50,000 via the Quest Climate Change Grant to further pursue the development of the eDrink.

Check out the eDrink clip from Fallon’s show below. Charging my phone with hot coffee sounds a lot easier than taking a walk or riding a bike, I’d say.

Via CBC

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