A research team of bio-engineers at Purdue University are developing a technology that will turn naturally generated bio-mechanical energy into a self-sustaining electrical voltage for both consumer and military technologies simply in cyborgs.
As Wu states “Our technology will enable wearable electronics to take otherwise wasted energy and transform it into energy that can power and control electronic devices and tools used in military defence and consumer applications. Our technology allows the synergistic engineering of TENG components at the material, structural and output levels.”
The team believes the technology has diverse applicability, ranging from: interface powering, self-monitoring health technologies, body sensors, user interface, and telecommunications, among military optical-visualization systems.
The equipment contains a layer of liquid metal inscribed in silicone and layered between two Ecoflex sheets. It reacts to your bodies discharge of mechanical energy and converts it into a sustainable voltage for the powering of devices.
The research team demonstrated there results in a test run involving the application of the LMI-TENG powered wireless media control system on a self-powered personal interface.
As team states that “The device architecture and design scheme presented here provide a promising solution towards the realization of self-powered human-integrated technologies.”