back to article Ricoh rolls out electrifyingly exciting RUBBER!

It'll be good if they can pull it off: Ricoh has come up with a way to brush up on electricity generation with nothing more than a piece of rubber. Instead of all the gadgetry associated with the Pornhub Wankband, Ricoh's research output is a simple sheet of rubber that generates electricity if rubbed or vibrated. Being a …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    ideas

    A vibrator powered by the movements of the bound person the vibrator is inserted into. It's not perpetual motion because eventually you run out of calories.

    A full body suit that electrocutes you as you run.

    Taser rubber bullets.

    1. Antonymous Coward
      Gimp

      Re: ideas

      You wouldn't happen to work at the CIA, would you?

    2. Harry the Bastard

      Re: ideas

      trampoline, encouraged by the increasing zaps you bounce ever higher until reaching escape velocity

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: ideas

      Ooooh, now we can all openly wear shiny, shiny latex suits and pretend it's because we need to charge the phone! Fina... I... I mean, nothing to see here... nothing at all... move along now!

  2. MrDamage Silver badge

    Some Ideas

    Incendiary Slingshot;

    Power builds up as you stretch the string, eventually arcing across 2 preset contacts to ignite the payload, and release.

    Fashion Victim Therapy;

    Make into Crocs. Person gets electrocuted whenever they try and leave the house in them.

    Chewing Gum;

    Who doesn't want to see someone put a piece of this in their mouth and chew away, especially if they have a gobfull of fillings?

    BOFH Anti-anti-static mat;

    Got a "tech support rep" you dont like the sight or smell of? Plaonk the faulty server onto a table coated by this, and watch the tech proceed to blow out all internal components.

    BOFH Bullwhip;

    Now you can channel both your inner BOFH, and inner Indiana Jones, with a self charging bullwhip that not only lashes, but delivers the thrilling kiss of the cattleprod at the same time.

    Not sure if I need more coffee, beer, or both to come up with more ideas.

    1. frank ly

      Re: Some Ideas

      "Not sure if I need more coffee, ...."

      You need lashing with a BOFH Bullwhip; that'll make you think fast.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    At last !!

    A suitable power source for the holy condom!!

    ((Plays "Cleft of ages, rock for me").

  4. Inventor of the Marmite Laser Silver badge

    sparks will fly

    with the Dildo Dynamo(tm) and the Arsehole Alternator(tm)

    Actually, "Arsehole Alternator" sounds exactly like someone I worked for a while back.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: sparks will fly

      I read that as "Arsehole Annihilator"

      Perhaps not entirely inappropriate.

      Must be time to book an appointment with the shrink...

      1. Captain DaFt

        Re: sparks will fly

        "Arsehole Annihilator"

        AKA "The Taco Bell Daily Special'

  5. Mark 85
    Coat

    I'm waiting for the greens to grab this and start pushing for tires to power electric cars so there won't be the need to build nuke plants to charge them.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

  6. Neil Barnes Silver badge
    Paris Hilton

    A shocking conclusion

    Every condom electrically tested... ooer missus!

  7. Blofeld's Cat
    Devil

    Hmm...

    Make up the rubber into small blocks and sell it to PHBs as a way to correct their Word documents without using Tipex.

    1. Anon

      Re: Hmm...

      *Tipp-Ex

  8. Why Not?
    Paris Hilton

    I can see the adverts now

    Charged for her pleasure?

    Paris - you have to ask?

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So many uses...

    There are just so many, many very NSFW uses for this...

  10. Anonymous Blowhard

    Powering the Internet of Things?

    But I don't want my Thing on the Internet!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Powering the Internet of Things?

      There are so many things on the internet already, it will be like a tree hidden in a forest (especially if it's got wood).

  11. willi0000000

    question

    is this a reversible reaction?. . . can you put a potential on it and make it vibrate or stretch?

    if so there are even more uses for it, some may even be SFW.

    1. POSitality
      Terminator

      Re: question

      Hmm... something like this for robotic muscle fibre?

      For example, energy into the system to move the leg of a biped robot and as falls onto the foot some of the energy could be reclaimed in a two-way process...

      All hail our new rub-otic overlords!

    2. lambda_beta
      Linux

      Re: question

      Yes it is reversible. In fact it's been used in loudspeakers for years.

  12. Andy The Hat Silver badge

    Just the thought of the rubber suit makes me feel the electricity run through my extremities. Did I say that out loud? ... Oops :-)

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    guitar strings

    if the rubber could be made nylon like, it might provide an alternative to a piezo-crystal guitar bridge. and if the effect is reversible, it might combine with a pc bridge to provide infiniguitar (sp?) like feedback/sustain.

    1. NinjaTheVanish
      Thumb Up

      Re: guitar strings

      Upvoted for the concept infinguitar.

  14. Rusty 1
    Happy

    Pants

    Well, now I know what my 2015 pair of pants will be made of. To be honest, the 2014 pair has lasted rather well, although the monthly scraping and pressure washing is getting a bit tedious.

  15. razorfishsl

    Rubber underwear, the new sheek.....

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