Dutch designer Marieke Staps may have figured out a way of saving energy by harnessing the power of mud.

The picture that you see here is the power source for this soil lamp. It uses a chemical reaction of copper, zinc, and the moistened mud to power a single LED. I suppose this uses the same principle as plugging tiny electrical units into potatoes for power.

You will notice that I am using definitely unsure verbs in my report, such as “may”. The problem is that I have doubts whether this product is for real. It has that “too good to be true, so it probably isn’t” factor. After all, who doesn’t want cheap power based on an easily found resource like mud?

The reason why I doubt this concept is real is the weird logo atop the mud-powered engine. It bears a strong resemblance to the logo of the people who follow the Dharma Initiative on Lost.

I am not saying that this technology is a complete fake because of that, but this is a lesson on a having a healthy skepticism concerning new concept technology.

Personally, I hope this mud-power is true, because I wouldn’t mind having all my electrical power come from the ample supply of mud that is no doubt underneath my home.

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