sustainably power small gadgets tagged posts

‘Wearable microgrid’ uses the human body to sustainably power small gadgets

White long sleeve shirt with electronics printed onto it
The wearable microgrid uses energy from human sweat and movement to power an LCD wristwatch and electrochromic device. Photos by Lu Yin

Nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a “wearable microgrid” that harvests and stores energy from the human body to power small electronics. It consists of three main parts: sweat-powered biofuel cells, motion-powered devices called triboelectric generators, and energy-storing supercapacitors. All parts are flexible, washable and can be screen printed onto clothing.

The technology, reported in a paper published Mar. 9 in Nature Communications, draws inspiration from community microgrids.

“We’re applying the concept of the microgrid to create wearable systems that are powered sustainably, reliably and independently...

Read More