A researcher developed an inexpensive, bacteria-powered battery by using origami, the Japanese art of paper folding.

The battery was developed by Seokheun Choi from the State University of New York at Binghamton. It generates power from microbial respiration.

The five-cent origami battery generates power from microbial respiration and delivers enough energy to run a paper-based biosensor.

According to Choi, this inexpensive device will prove useful for those who are working in remote areas with limited resources.

In this study, Choi fabricated an integrative paper-based battery by just putting a single drop of bacteria-containing liquid in which microbial metabolism occurs.

Electric current is generated after a drop of dirty water falls on a piece of paper coated in activated carbon that can harvest those electrons.

The battery folds into a square of the same size of a matchbook. It uses an inexpensive air-breathing cathode created with nickel sprayed onto one side of ordinary office paper. The anode is screen printed with carbon paints, creating a hydrophilic zone with wax boundaries.

Choi said "Dirty water has a lot of organic matter. Any type of organic material can be the source of bacteria for the bacterial metabolism".

Many experts working on disease control and prevention have confiscated upon paper as a key material in creating diagnostic tools, as it's inexpensive and readily available. However, paper-based biosensors must be paired with hand-held devices for analysis.

Choi said he visualizes a self-powered system in which a paper-based battery would create enough energy to run the biosensor.

For that goal, he has received a three-year grant of nearly USD 300,000 from the National Science Foundation in the US.