Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology are working on a nanogenerator that will use your beating heart to power your iPod, your laptop, as well as a host of medical applications.
Immersed in biological fluids or other liquids, the new cellular engine will produce electricity for small electronic devices by using ultrasonic waves as the energy source.
Researcher Zhong Lin Wang states: “Our bodies are good at converting chemical energy from glucose into the mechanical energy of our muscles. . . . These nanogenerators can take that mechanical energy and convert it to electrical energy for powering devices inside the body.”
They’ve already managed to produce miniscule amounts of energy from the prototype and are confident that it’s only a matter of time before they’re able to raise the voltage to 0.5 V, the threshold necessary for powering devices.
