Although smartphone technology has advanced rapidly over the last few years with the advent of multicore mobile processors, high fidelity displays and a wider breadth of multimedia applications, power consumption remains a persistent issue. Many models require recharging before reaching a full day's worth of use, but with a new OLED display technology that can actually recharge itself as it is being used, the days of keeping a charger close at hand may be numbered.

Researcher Arman Ahnood has developed a method to capture light otherwise wasted by OLED displays and convert it into energy that can be used to recharge a device's central battery unit. According to Ahnood, only 36-percent of the light produced by OLED displays is projected outward, while the rest is pointed toward the sides and rear. He claims that a thin layer of film containing photovoltaic cells can be applied to displays to gather the wasted energy, as well as capture ambient light from both manmade sources and the sun.As of right now, however, Ahnood's findings offer a small amount of supplemental energy, but with further research it could reach higher efficiency levels.In short, this concept could eventually lead to smartphones that recharge during use, potentially resulting in a virtually limitless energy supply.Read more at ExtremeTech