Last month, the fuel cell company said it micro fuel cell power packs would be available for consumers in the beginning of 2006.  

Medis will hold the public design contest to help improve the appearance of the disposable power packs, said spokesperson Michelle Rush. The current demonstration design is a straightforward plastic black box with the Medis logo and a vent.  

“This is a functional device, but we also want it to be really aspirational and sleek, with the high style that this new technology actually warrants,” she said. “We’re opening up the opportunity for designers we normally wouldn’t have access to that want to be a part of history, because this is the first commercial fuel cell for portable mobile devices.
 
The first fuel cells, which will come off the production line at the end of this year, will the current demonstration design.

But by the time the company’s manufacturing partner, Celestica, ramps up to full capacity at the end of 2006, Medis wants the production line to be churning out more attractive units. 

The fuel cells will be powered by sodium borohydride, delivering about 20 hours of talk time for cell phones, for instance. The will carry a suggested retail price of $19.99.

Because they will be external, recharging—not replacing—batteries in cell phones and other devices, they will be more visible than batteries, Ms. Rush said.

Fashionable Fuel Cells

Like other mobile devices, such as phones, iPods, and even headsets, Medis hopes its fuel cells will eventually become fashion accessories, she said.

“Our objective is really to have people think about this in two ways: As a functional product that serves a purpose, but also as a sexy, cool product you would want to be seen with,” said CEO Robert K. Lifton (See Q&A: The Fuel Cell Evangelist). “We’re hoping this is something people can help us with.”

But Maribel Lopez, a vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, said looks will only help so much.

“This is not an iPod,” she said. “The iPods did two things—made it easier to take your music with you, and had a design factor, part of what I call the experience provider. I don’t think that translates into a battery.”

Because users will have to carry adaptors for different devices, along with the power packs, Ms. Lopez is skeptical about how successful they are likely to be with the public.

“The main issue is people aren’t going to want to carry another thing,” she said. “How many things can you fit in your pocket?”

Medis power packs might make sense for users who tote multiple devices in a bag or laptop case, but aren't ideal for the average consumer, she said.

The idea for the Medis contest sprung out of conversations with potential customers, Ms. Rush said.

“The various companies that we were working with were telling us that some of the best feedback on design came from regular customers,” she said. “We wanted to open up to those great ideas from creative industrial designers, people coming out of college, people who would be using this product.”

The company already has four submissions from unnamed industrial design partners in Israel, which Medis received before deciding to have the contest, Ms. Rush said.

Other than those four designs, the contest will only be open to U.S. residents at least 18 years old, Ms. Rush said. Medis had originally hoped to have a worldwide contest, but the contest regulations in different countries proved too big an obstacle, she said.

The power packs will be less than 78 millimeters long, 58 millimeters wide, and 38 millimeters deep. To qualify, the designs must include holes for air on one side, and a place for removable power management plugs, which would connect the fuel cell with different devices, Ms. Rush said.

Medis will accept submissions until September 20 and will announce a winner September 28 at the CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment conference, she said.

The designs will be judged on innovation, manufacturability, marketability, and cost. Medis will get feedback from the industry before making the final decision.

The winner will get a trip for two to watch the first power packs with the winning design come off the production line, as well as free power packs to take home. The location of the line has not yet been decided, but will be either Ireland or in Puerto Rico, Ms. Rush said.

Medis will have applications and more details about the contest on its web site, www.medistechnologies.com, Tuesday.