Eesha Khare: Inventing the One-Minute Mobile Phone Charger

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By Intel2014-04-11 15:05:08 UTC

Clear, unimpeded communication is the obsession of the modern age. Our most brilliant minds work tirelessly to connect the citizens of every nation, from every social strata. The ease of social media is now seen as a birthright — even by those who, just a decade ago, were reluctant to make purchases online. And of course, our tablets and cellphones have become intuitive extensions of our bodies. Since human beings have developed this emotional bond with their technology, it makes sense that a loss of battery life invokes an emotional response.

Eesha Khare, 19, of Saratoga, California — runner-up at the 2013 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) — had one such experience when she found herself away from home, with a dead cellphone battery and no way to contact her parents. Unable to find a power source, she had to track down (and subsequently learn how to work) a pay phone, which is not so simple in this day and age. A loss of mobile energy created a scary reality for Eesha; connectivity is something she had been taking for granted. Then and there, she decided to do something about mobile device power.

The beautiful and well-rounded daughter of an engineer and a biologist, Eesha has been fascinated by science for her entire life. This mobile device quandary was just the kind of challenge she'd been seeking — one that would allow her to stretch her brain, to fully utilize the computation power of her technology, and to address an issue that would serve millions of people just like her. “I'm a typical teenager, reliant on mobile technology,” she says.

Perhaps “typical” is a bit modest.

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Image: Faust Photographics

Eesha is the developer of a supercapacitor energy storage device, a carbon fiber with different metal oxides — primarily titanium dioxide and polyaniline — that uses nanotechnology to maximize the device’s surface area. It charges mobile devices much faster than previous technology has allowed, and has the ability to charge for many more cycles. Her innovation could be harnessed to charge more than cellphones and tablets; down the line, it could potentially charge cars. In the meantime: “My goal is to have a supercapacitor charge a mobile device in less than a minute.”

She took her project — "Design and Synthesis of Hydrogenated TiO2-Polyaniline Nanorods for Flexible High-Performance Supercapacitors" — to the 2013 ISEF, and came in second place out of the 1,600 competitors, winning the “Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award” and $50,000. The most prominent tech companies in the world have become very intrigued by young Eesha — not to mention talk show host Conan O’Brien, who had her on his show for a very entertaining back and forth. (She's a natural on camera, in addition to being intimidatingly smart.)

Now a happy freshman at Harvard University, Eesha uses her Intel-powered devices to maintain constant access with her research. “Technology makes data evaluation much faster,” she says, noting that she uses her Intel tablet to gauge how her innovation has contributed to the science world. A naturally curious and well-rounded individual, Eesha also uses her tablet to pursue a spectrum of interests, inducing traditional Indian dance. Through her powerful devices she is also able to seek out new science mentors and labs that can push her discoveries forward.

So there we have Eesha Khare — a typical teenager in many ways; every now and then extraordinary. We suppose the same can be said for every individual who takes full advantage of powerful technology and dares to supercharge the natural curiosity that lies within.

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