Fuel cell now portable.

• Author: Foster, Sharon
• Position: Tech Talk - Brief Article

Researchers at NASA'S Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, Calif., have found a way to replace large, bulky stacks of layered fuel cells with a single, compact, flat version. Portable fuel--cell technology-called micro-direct methanol field cells-someday could operate small electronic devices, such as cell phones, laptops and camcorders for hours or days at a time without recharging, according to S.R. Narayanan, fuel-cell technical team leader at JPL.

The discovery is a "significant advance in fuel-cell development, because by going small, you make the fuel cell portable and viable for use as a power source to...