Student invents phone charger with body heat

Charging your cell phone by simply holding the charger in your hand? A college student in China has figured out how.

Lin Gang, a sophomore at Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, has invented a charger that transforms a person's thermal energy into electricity.

Lin got the idea while attending a lecture about a Canadian girl who made a flash light that used energy from her own body heat.

Lin developed the idea into a startup program after realizing that his super charger didn't work well. After piles of papers and numerous lab trials, Lin completed his first sample in May.

Test results show the gadget can convert 17 percent of thermal energy into electricity and charge an iPhone within two hours.

Three companies have shown interest in Lin's startup program. The charger could be priced at 100 yuan ($15) if put into mass production.