In July 2013, scientists at the University of West England (UWE) developed a way of using urine as a power source to generate electricity and created the world’s first MFC (microbial fuel cell) powered mobile phone. Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos said at the time:

‘By harnessing this power as urine passes through a cascade of MFCs, we have managed to charge a Samsung mobile phone.’..So far the microbial fuel power stack that we have developed generates enough power to enable SMS messaging, web browsing and to make a brief phone call.’

However, he said that making a long call on a mobile phone is far more power-hungry. This professor believes that they will get to a place where they can charge a battery for longer periods of time.