A wearable device similar to a matrix turns the body into a BATTERY, taking advantage of the user’s internal heat, which is transformed into electricity
- A new wearable device turns your body into a biological battery
- The elastic device stays on the skin and turns body heat into electricity
- It generates one volt of energy for every square centimeter of the skin space
- The team hopes to increase it to a sports band size to generate five volts
- This will allow users to drive wearable electronic components on the go – no cables required
A new wearable device seems to be inspired by the film ‘The Matrix’ by transforming the human body into a biological battery.
The elastic device attaches to the skin like a ring placed on a finger and uses the user’s natural heat to convert the body’s internal temperature into electricity.
Although the film shows robots collecting organic energy from humans, research at Colorado University (CU) is generating only about one volt of energy from every square inch of skin space.
The team eventually sees the technology evolving to the size of a sports bracelet that can produce about five volts of electricity, allowing you to power other wearable electronic devices on the go.
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A new wearable device turns the human body into a biological battery. The elastic device attaches to the skin like a ring placed on a finger and takes advantage of the user’s natural heat to convert the body’s internal temperature into electricity
Jianliang Xiao, senior author of the new article and associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering Paul M. Rady at CU Boulder, said: ‘Whenever you use a battery, you are running out of battery and eventually need to replace it.’
‘The good thing about our thermoelectric device is that you can use it and it provides constant power.’
Xiao notes that this innovation is not an attempt to fuse human with robot, but is a progression from previous work to design ‘electronic skin’ wearables that look and act like human skin.
However, during the experiments, the team had to keep Android’s skin connected to an external power source.
Although ‘The Matrix’s portrays robots collecting organic energy from humans, research at Colorado University (CU) is generating only about one volt of energy from every square inch of skin space.
The new wearable device has an elastic material made of polyimine at the base, which is equipped with a series of thin thermoelectric plants that are connected with liquid metal wires.
“The final product looks like a cross between a plastic bracelet and a miniature computer motherboard or perhaps a modern diamond ring, the researchers said in a statement.
“Our design makes the whole system extensible without introducing too much tension into the thermoelectric material, which can be very fragile,” said Xiao.
Xiao provides an example of a person running to explain how the device works.
The new wearable device has an elastic material made of polyimine at the base, which is equipped with a series of thin thermoelectric plants that are connected with liquid metal wires
The person goes for a run, which in turn warms up the body, which is released into the cold air around it.
Xiao’s device captures this flow of energy instead of wasting it.
“Thermoelectric generators are in close contact with the human body and can use heat that would normally be dissipated into the environment,” he said.
He added that you can easily increase that power by adding more generator blocks. In that sense, he compares his design to a popular children’s toy.
Xiao provides an example of a person running to explain how the device works. The person goes for a run, which in turn warms up the body, which is released into the cold air around it. Xiao’s device captures this flow of energy instead of wasting it
“What I can do is combine these smaller units to get a larger unit,” he said. “It’s like putting together a bunch of small Lego pieces to make a big structure. Offers many customization options. ‘
Eventually, the team hopes to design the small device into a larger system the size of a traditional sports bracelet, which can generate up to five volts – more than a watch battery produces.
“We are trying to make our devices as cheap and reliable as possible, while having the closest possible zero impact on the environment,” said Xiao.
While there are still problems to solve in the design, he thinks his group’s devices could hit the market in five to ten years. Just don’t tell the robots. We don’t want them to have ideas.