Publication date:23-September-2003 

One of these technologies is a remarkable fuel cell from Paul Ronney, and  Sossina Haile, both professors 
at the University of Southern California.

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VISION: A fuel cell the size of a marble.

WHY: Conventional batteries are too heavy and drain too quickly to run the portable devices of the future.
VISIONARIES: Paul Ronney, 45; Sossina Haile, 36.

DAY JOBS: Professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Southern California (Ronney); associate professor of materials science at Caltech (Haile).

BREAKTHROUGHS: Haile's solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is more compact and efficient than the direct methanol fuel cell often hailed as the power source of the future. Ronney's "Swiss roll" heat exchanger circulates the SOFC's intense heat to keep the cell cranking. Together, they could boost cell-phone talk time to 28 hours and, scaled up, keep a laptop humming for 20 hours on a swig of butane or propane.

BREAKTHROUGH NEEDED: Haile's working to increase the fuel cell's efficiency while Ronney fine-tunes the Swiss roll design to establish the optimal temperature, gas composition, and flow rate deep inside the device.

WHO'S PAYING ATTENTION: DARPA is funding the research, but electronics powerhouses, including Motorola (MOT), Samsung, and Toshiba, and pocket-power startups like Manhattan Scientifics, MTI MicroFuel Cells, and Smart Fuel Cell are watching with interest.

QUOTE: "You could buy [fuel cell] refills at the corner store just like a Bic lighter," Haile says.