The only thing better than Amazon Prime? Being able to power that new camera with the cardboard box it came in. Sony might be able to make that a reality (someday) with its improved bio-battery that uses paper to make energy. The company demoed the battery at the Eco-Products 2011 exhibition in Tokyo last week, and was able to power a small fan. In the demonstration, a mash of paper or cardboard (like those old school papier-mâché projects!) was put into a water mixture, and voilà, there was power. How did this bio-dream come true? Much like how a termite eats wood, enzymes in the water mixture broke down the cellulose in the paper, and then the resulting glucose (sugar) was harvested, giving the cell the resources needed to make a working battery. Unlike traditional batteries, this bio-cell doesn't use metals or other environmentally-unfriendly chemicals. Let's just hope Sony doesn't make it require proprietary paper.

Image Credit: AFP