Revolutionary Nanotechnology Grabs Energy from Moving Humans

These are the experts from Michigan University who have created a novel method to harvest energy from the human body motion, utilizing a film – like equipment that actually can be folded multiple times to prepare more power. With the cost – effective device, known as a nanogenerator, the researchers successfully operated an LCD touch screen, a bank of 20 LED lights and a flexible keyboard, all with the simple touching or pressing motion and without the support of a battery.

The revolutionary findings, introduced by the scientists state that “We are on a path towards wearable devices triggered by human motion,” says Nelson Sepulveda, an associate lecturer of electrical and computer engineering and head investigator of the study.

“What I expect, relatively soon, is the potential of not possessing to charge the mobile phone for an entire week, for instance, as that energy will be generated by the movement of body,” says Sepulveda, whose scientific study is funded by the National Science Foundation.

Figure: Foldable Keyboard Created at Michigan University operates by touch without battery

The inventive process instigates with a silicone layer, which is then engineered with multiple layers, or slim sheets, of environment-friendly materials comprising polyimide, silver and polypropylene ferroelectret. Ions are supplements so that each layer is prepared when the device is compressed by body motion or mechanical energy.

The completed equipment is known as biocompatible ferroelectret nanogenerator or FENG. The device is as slim as a sheet of paper and can be adapted to numerous applications and sizes. The device utilized to power the LED lights was palm – sized and for instance, while the device utilized to power the touch screen was as tiny as a finger.

Benefits of being flexible, lightweight, scalable, biocompatible and cost-effective, could make FENG a lucrative and substituting technique of mechanical energy harvesting. For most of the autonomous electronics like wireless headsets, cell phones as well as other touch – screen equipment, the study confirms. As a remarkable move, the device also becomes more robust when folded into multiple sheets and hence seems to deliver greater results that can be useful for people in future period.

As stated by the researchers, “Each time you fold the device, you are not just reducing its size and making it compact as per your convenience, but you are also enhancing exponentially the volume of voltage you are preparing,” says Sepulveda. “You can even begin with a big device, but when you fold it once again and again, it is smaller enough and carries high level of energy.”

According to scientists the device when small enough can be put in a specifically made of heel of shoe to release adequate amount of energy each time the heel of the wearer strikes the ground. Sepulveda and his group are introducing technology that would transfer the power released from the heel strike to a wireless headset.