The matrix-like portable device turns the body into a BATTERY by touching the user’s internal heat which is transformed into electricity
- A new portable device turns the body into a biological battery
- The elastic device sits on the skin and converts body heat into electricity
- Generates one volt of energy from every square centimeter of skin space
- The team hopes to increase it to the size of the sports band to generate five volts
- This will allow users to power portable electronics on the go – no cables required
A new portable device seems to be inspired by the movie “Matrix” transforming the human body into a biological battery.
The elastic device attaches to the skin like a ring that sits on a finger and touches the user’s natural heat to convert the body’s internal temperature into electricity.
Although the film shows robots harvesting organic energy from humans, research at the University of Colorado (CU) generates only about one volt of energy per square centimeter of skin space.
The team is finally seeing technology evolve to the size of a sports bracelet that can produce about five volts of electricity, allowing you to power other wearable electronics on the go.
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A new portable device turns the human body into a biological battery. The elastic device attaches to the skin like a ring that sits on a finger and touches the user’s natural heat to convert the body’s internal temperature into electricity.
Jianliang Xiao, lead author of the new paper and an associate professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at CU Boulder, said: “Whenever you use a battery, you run out of that battery and eventually you have to replace it. ‘
“The nice thing about our thermoelectric device is that you can wear it and it gives you constant power.”
Xiao notes that this innovation is not an attempt to combine man with robot, but is a progression of previous work on the design of portable “electronic leather” items that look and act like human skin.
However, during the experiments, the team had to keep the Android skin connected to an external power supply.
Although “The Matrix” describes robots that harvest organic energy from humans, research at the University of Colorado (CU) generates only about one volt of energy per square centimeter of skin space.
The new portable device is based on an elastic polyamine material, which is equipped with a thin thermoelectric number that is connected with liquid metal wires.
“The final product looks like a cross between a plastic bracelet and a miniature computer motherboard or maybe a technical diamond ring,” the researchers said in a statement.
“Our design makes the whole system stretch without putting too much voltage on the thermoelectric material, which can be really fragile,” Xiao said.
Xiao provides an example of a jogger to explain how the device works.
The new portable device has an elastic polyamine material at the base, which is equipped with a thin thermoelectric number that is connected with liquid metal wires
The person goes jogging, which in turn warms his body, which is released into the cold air around him.
Xiao’s device captures the flow of energy rather than letting it dissipate.
“Thermoelectric generators are in close contact with the human body and can use heat that would normally be dissipated in the environment,” he said.
He added that you can easily increase this power by adding more generator blocks. In this sense, he compares his design with a popular toy for children.
Xiao provides an example of a jogger to explain how the device works. The person goes jogging, which in turn warms his body, which is released into the cold air around him. Xiao’s device captures the flow of energy rather than letting it dissipate
“What I can do is combine these smaller units to get a larger unit,” he said. “It’s like assembling a bunch of small Lego pieces to create a big structure. It gives you a lot of customization options. ‘
Finally, the team hopes to design the small device into a larger system the size of a traditional sports band, which could generate up to five volts – more than what a watch battery produces.
“We try to make our devices as cheap and reliable as possible, while having a near-zero impact on the environment,” Xiao said.
While there are still design issues, he believes his group’s devices could hit the market in five to 10 years. Just don’t tell the robots. We don’t want them to get ideas.