The Human Heart Could Power Gadgets of the Future
By Jared Newman on March 30, 2011
Thanks to new developments in nanotechnology, we may some day be able to charge up our gadgets just by living and breathing.
Scientists have developed a tiny chip that generates power from bodily motions. That may sound like kinetic energy, but it's actually a set of zinc oxide nanowires that create electricity when strained or flexed, the Telegraph reports.
Each nanogenerator contains millions of these wires, 500 of which can fit inside a single strand of human hair. When five nanogenerators are working together, they generate roughly the same voltage as two AA batteries. The latest development in this technology is supposedly thousands of times more powerful than its predecessors.
"Additional nanowires and more nanogenerators, stacked together, could produce enough energy for powering larger electronics, such as an iPod or charging a cell phone," Zhong Lin Wang of the Georgia Institute of Technology told the Telegraph. Eventually, the scientists hope that any body movement, including a beating heart, could power electronic devices.
Wang and his team will present their findings at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, where they'll demonstrate real-world applications such as powering LCD displays and transmitting radio signals. No word on when we can start implanting the tech in newborns.
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This is great! Nanotechnology may significantly help the reduction of waste from batteries.
hmmm...how about a human heart powering a car?!!! =)
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