Human heartbeats could one day power cell phones!

WASHINGTON - A team of researchers has developed a power generation technology using bendable thin film nano-materials, which could one day, translate into heart implanted micro robots that operate permanently.

Prof. Keon Jae Lee (KAIST, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering) and Prof. Zhong Lin Wang (Georgia Institute of Technology, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering) have developed new forms of highly efficient, flexible nanogenerator technology.

They used freely bendable piezoelectric ceramic thin film nano-materials that can convert tiny movements of the human body (such as heart beats and blood flow) into electrical energy.

The research team has developed a bio-eco-friendly ceramic thin film nanogenerator that is freely bendable without breakdown.

Nanogenerator technology, a power generating system without wires or batteries, combines nanotechnology with piezoelectrics that can be used not only in personal mobile electronics but also in bio-implantable sensors or as an energy source for micro robots.

Energy sources in nature (wind, vibration, and sound) and biomechanical forces produced by the human body (heart beats, blood flow, and muscle contraction/relaxation) can infinitely produce non-polluting energy.

“This technology can be used to turn on an LED by slightly modifying circuits and operate touchable flexible displays. In addition, thin film nano-materials (’barium titanate’) of this research have the property of both high efficiency and lead-free bio compatibility, which can be used in future medical applications,” said Wang. (ANI)