H20 announces eco-friendly shower powered radio

Here’s an interesting eco-friendly gadget – the world’s first water-pressured radio.

Designed for use in the shower, the H2O Shower Powered Radio is powered solely through water, without the need for disposable batteries.

The FM radio is powered solely through the motion of water flowing through a small H2O™ micro turbine; driving a generator that creates energy to power the radio. An integral battery recharges as the shower runs.

The radio is both economically and environmentally friendly, harvesting energy that would otherwise, literally, go straight down the drain.

It simply connects to the shower hose and is compatible with 99 per cent of all showers. H20 claims that water pressure isn’t affected but we should be getting a test sample very soon to try for ourselves.

Previously showcased on TV programme Dragon’s Den, the radio is the brainchild of Vivian Blick, Managing Director of Tango Group, the owners of the H2O.

Inventor Vivian Blick is also a former director of Freeplay Energy Group, the company behind the commercialisation of the Wind-up Radio, which was invented by Trevor Baylis OBE in the 1990s.

Says Blick:

“Having seen huge success with the commercialisation of the Wind-Up Radio we were constantly looking into new ways that further innovations in the radio sector could be made.

Creating the now-patented micro turbine technology, that allows the radio to operate solely through the flow of water, was the key to our new innovation; and thus the world’s first water-powered shower radio was created.”

The H20™ Shower Powered Radio will be available to purchase from March 2011. The recommended retail price is £34.99.

TangoGroup