Scientists develop batteries that recharge themselves.

A 'power-cell' that recharges itself and generates energy has been developed by researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

It is five times more efficient than other systems that use a battery storage source and a generator as two separate devices.

Zhong Lin Wang, a Regents professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology said that the new generator-storage cell is “a single hybrid unit to create a self-charging power cell, demonstrating a new technique for charge conversion and storage in one integrated unit."

The system turns pressure, mechanical or kinetic energy into electricity.

Other examples of products that utilize a similar system for producing electricity are phone chargers that generate energy from a bicycle, and tiles that create 2.1 watts of energy each time they are stepped on.

The Pavegen tiles are designed for areas with high pedestrian foot traffic with a light that flashes every time someone steps on it.

The tiles were used at the 2012 London Olympics and on a dance floor at the music festival known as Bestival, held on the Isle of Wright in the United Kingdom.