Japanese companies currently lead the field in the development of micro fuel cells (MFCs) to be used in portable electronics devices such as laptops, PDAs and phones.

Large-scale electronics and battery manufacturers such as Hitachi, NEC and Toshiba are pioneering this research in what has the potential to be a highly lucrative market.

According to Atakan Ozbek, director of energy research at ABI Research, which has just published a new report evaluating the MFC market, these firms are "nimble" and well-equipped to capitalize upon their established position making the products MFCs will power.

"They know all there is to know about their own products' power demands," he stated.

"They are showing rapid progress in making MFCs smaller and lighter, more powerful and reliable - critical not only for civilian use, but for the large and important military market."

Mr Ozbek added that these Japanese firms, while not alone in the field, are stipulating the international regulatory framework required to make such devices viable worldwide.