Could our clothes soon be powering digital devices? It looks possible..........
Researchers from the University of California San Diego have developed a "wearable microgrid" that collects and stores energy from movement and sweat. The microgrid can be printed onto clothing and produces enough energy to power small electronic devices.
A microgrid is a small-scale power grid that can operate independently or collaboratively with other small power grids. The practice of using microgrids is known as distributed, dispersed, decentralized, district or embedded energy production.
The microgrid connects three main parts: motion-powered generators, sweat-powered biofuel cells, and energy-storing super-capacitors — which are a bit like batteries.
The motion-powered generators are printed on the outside of a sports shirt, on its forearms and near the waist. So, when a person wearing it swings their arms, the generators rub against each other to create high voltage electric pulses.
When the wearer starts to sweat, the biofuel cells, which are on the inside of the shirt, start working to produce a low voltage. And they keep going even when the wearer has stopped moving.
The electricity from the motion-powered generators and the sweat-powered biofuel cells is then stored by the supercapacitors, which are also printed on the shirt, and which then release the energy to power small devices.
Lu Yin, co-first author of the study, said the advantage of using both biofuel cells and motion-powered generators is that they work together to create continuous energy.
For example, in a test, the microgrid was able to power a digital watch during a 30-minute session that included 10 minutes of exercise and 20 minutes of rest.
Arm movement immediately caused the motion-powered generators to start working, charging the supercapacitor for as long as the exercise continued. The sweat-powered biofuel cells started working after about five or six minutes of exercise, and continued to keep the supercapacitor topped up even after exercise ended.
The study also noted that the microgrid is flexible and was not affected by being folded 100 times — or even by a 20-minute wash.
The researchers are also working on other designs that could generate electricity with less vigorous movement — like working in an office.
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