A device that feeds on our movement and creates electricity seems like a thing of science fiction, but the University of California has succeeded and could be used to power small machines.
One of the big problems that technology brings is the energy it requires to function. It has been tried to solve and the batteries have been improved, but now it has gone a step further.
At the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, in its department of bioengineering, have invented a soft and flexible material that can generate energy. This material has the ability to transform movement into electricity.
It’s all due to the magnetoelastic effect, which measures the energy produced when small magnets they come together and separate constantly. This effect is achieved with machines that repeat movements, but can also be made with this polymer used.
Microscopic magnets have been placed in this new material that have generated energy with the magnetoelastic effect. This idea has been presented and subsequently demonstrated in the journal Nature, where the practical consequences of the discovery have also been explained.
According to Jun Chen, study leader and assistant professor of bioengineering at UCLA Samueli, “allows people to stretch and move comfortably when the device is pressed against human skin, and because it relies on magnetism rather than electricity, the moisture and our own sweat do not compromise its effectiveness. “
To demonstrate this, they created a sheet with neodymium-iron-boron nanomagnets, which they put with a silicone band on a person’s elbow. After a few tests, it was found that 10,000 times more energy was generated than with other comparable technologies.
It is so sensitive and powerful that the heartbeat of a human being could be enough to create electricity. It would have the capacity to power pulse measuring devices, as well as thermometers and other similar devices.
Their ability to bend and have no problem with attachment to human skin, make it ideal for future research.
No problems with humidity or with the movements of our bodyThis is a very useful invention. Its ability to serve as a power source in wearables such as watches is currently being investigated.