If you can remember a solar powered calculator run by the lighting in the room, that ambient lighting will power a new Google remote. The solar cell, from Epishine, will be integrated in Google TV's new G32 remote control and is said to never run out of power.
Epishine is a Swedish company that designs and manufactures organic indoor solar cells. The cells use ambient light to power electronics rather than using disposable batteries. The cells are even printed at a facility in Sweden. The technology was been selected through Ohsung Electronics, an official Google remote control supplier.
Adoption of this technology in remote controls could potentially save the billions of batteries that are thrown away every year. Epishine says their solar cell remotes are maintenance free and made with organic materials.
Epishine's technology allows remote controls to be designed without a large battery compartment and allows thinner, more light-weight, elegant designs. The cells are bifacial and allow the capture of power even when the remote is oriented upside down.