Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have proposed a new version of an efficient body-worn electric generator. According to the developers, it can be used to charge wearable accessories, “transforming” exclusively the energy of the human body.
Wei Gao, Associate Professor of Medical Engineering, proposed an option for collecting energy using a special multi-layer structure consisting of Teflon, copper and polyamide. This symbiosis of materials allows the human body to generate electricity.
The idea of the method proposed by the researcher is that during walking and during any movements of a person, sheets of material rub against each other, generating electricity. This effect is known to science as triboelectricity. This phenomenon occurs if a person, for example, walking on a carpet, touches a metal handle with his hand.
Wei Gao’s proposed nanogenerator is attached to the human body. While driving, all electrical discharges that arise are accumulated in the battery, after which they are used to charge the wearable electronics. The main problem with this method is still the extremely low efficiency factor. So, to power a 40-watt light bulb, you need a sheet of combined material with an area of 100 square meters. Nevertheless, such a