In our search for the most efficient source of power, researchers have said it might have been in our midst all along.

Sound, noise, chatter. These may be powering our gadgets in the future.

This means people won't have to worry any longer about battery power running out or scrambling to look for a power outlet.

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Scientists from Queen Mary University of London and researchers from Nokia teamed up to create a prototype of a mobile phone that converts noise into electricity. The device is about the size of the Lumia 925 created by Nokia.

Joe Briscoe and Steve Dunn from Queen Mary said the inspiration came from zinc oxide nanorods that create a voltage through twisting or mechanical manipulation.

For the study, the team sprayed zinc oxide onto plastic sheets and heated them. This process resulted in the creation of zinc oxide nanorods.

They found these sheets would bend when exposed to sound and vibrations, leading them to release electricity. To harvest the power produced by the nanorod sheets, the team sandwiched them between layers of aluminum foil.

The device generated around five volts just from ambient sound, which included traffic, chatter and music. The team said that is enough to charge a mobile phone. It wasn't stated how long the power will last,however.

"This collaboration was an excellent opportunity to develop alternative device designs using cheap and scalable methods. We hope that we have brought this technology closer to viability," said Dr Briscoe.

There is still much work to do on the device, but if the team is successful at creating a mobile device simply powered by sound, we might no longer have to worry about batteries dying in the future -- not unless you're in a library.