Japanese inventor and the president of Tokyo-based building material maker TSC (Total System Conductor), Susumu Suzuki, has invented batteries made of carbon based compounds that are activated by a single drop of water and which have an electric current as powerful as that of a standard manganese dioxide battery.

This battery can never be activated without water, in other words it can keep for many more years than any existing batteries, unless you inject water in it. So this would be an ideal tool for disaster prevention.

Suzuki says the design of this water-powered battery means it has uses far beyond those of traditional batteries. These batteries can be used with any low powered gadgets such as torches and that would make them extremely useful in emergencies. For example, when you get lost on a mountain, by just licking (the battery's) surface, you can get electricity for a flashlight or a radio. This will be an essential tool in the near future.

These batteries could be made very cheaply if mass produced costing up to 1/10th the price of a normal battery and they can be recycled several times, making them an essential tool for the future.

And since they are both environment and cost friendly, Suzuki hopes his small device could be a big help in developing countries plagued by energy shortages.