Just what every adequate food and clean water lacking impoverished individual with no health care needs...  a battery to charge their cell phone or flashlight...

Hmmmmm, what else, maybe their Palm?   Is this low energy enabling intended to tap into the masses of less fortunate in the world in order to convert them into consumers of personal electronic devices and services?   OK, so the conspiracy theory is a bit far fetched.

There has to be alot of people out there alot smarter than me.  Help me out here, what survival critical devices might these people be able to afford whereby the low voltage energy source would actually improve their chances in life?  Bug Zapper for the disease carrier mosquitos... nope, I think those are pretty high energy devices.

A kid could do homework by candle light, made from the fat of butter from the only goat his tribe owns too.  Certainly all things are possible in a dreamy world.  However, I am speaking more from the context of people who are struggling just to survive and what does not come to mind is some kid living in Nairobi who has the luxury of attending school.  Statistically speaking, what proportion of kids in third world squalor actually have the luxury of attending school?  I give you all some examples of this tragic reality:

What's a boy to do:
http://www.motherjones.com/news/outfront/2008/07/outfront-wasted-potential-600.jpg

Effective 3rd world technology:
http://everydaytrash.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/slipper-van-waterfles1.jpg

Truancy (3rd world style):
http://www.globalenvision.org/files/trashpickers.jpg

And this shining example from our own hemisphere:
http://i.treehugger.com/images/2007/10/24/506x190_recycledlife01.jpg

OK, here's an idea.  Even though they don't have the luxury of things like homework or school, they could use the flashlight to pick trash at night, thereby gaining the advantage over their competitors that show up at first light.  Early bird gets the worm, right?

Still looking for someone to convince me of the far ranging humanitarian benefits of a low voltage battery buried in the ground outside every sub-saharan mud shack.  Before everyone gets their hackles up, my only point in this is to illustrate how disconnected the author appears to be from the reality of 21st centuary dire poverty.  But at the same time I hold out the hope that someone out there can think of a tangible immediate wide-ranging benefit to the truly desperate impoverished masses.

Gigonaut, I like your optimism.  It is what I want to hear, but more importantly I want to believe.  However, to believe I need practical applications that fit the context.  I am completely good with the thoughtful example of homework by flashlight as well.  But I am actually thinking that the kid that has the luxury of school in Africa is not the kid who needs a flashlight to do his homework.  I can see that example playing well in the urban 3rd world where power interruptions regularly impact daily living conveniences.  Good thoughts people, but I still have this horrible picture in my mind of someone in Africa very poor and destitute holding the bag of dirt/grain wondering what the heck we are thinking.

First of all; thanks to the researcher for the work and mention of possible humanitarian application.  Hello CYNICAL, I appreciate the argument presented; however, I am more impressed with the work, worker, and possibilities implied of their outcome(s).  I continually hear of 3rd world lives spending enormous amounts of capital (e.g. personal time) procuring water for their use.  Perhaps "dirt-bag fuel cells" linked together could present a viable method to procure water within each village?  Imagine these fuel cells powered by community sized wastewater microbial masses?  SANITATION & CLEAN WATER; something Americans take for granted, daily.  Try hauling all your water by hand.  I did this activity for two of my five years as an undergraduate (I know the four year plan in five years; I was not a math major).  I shall never again diss anyone who hauls water; its a lot of work and time.