Many Scientists and tech giants worldwide are trying to make thinner batteries for gadgets such as watches and mobile phones to reduce the weight of devices. On the other hand, some others are experimenting with whether we can abandon these of batteries altogether!
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder, for example, have developed a wearable technology that is powered by the human body. This means that future wearable devices might not have a battery. The battery is you.
The technology combines a stretchy material called polyimine, thermoelectric chips and liquid metal wires that can be worn either on your wrist or like a ring on your finger.
The findings, published in the journal science advances, mention that the technology uses thermoelectric generators converting the body’s internal temperature to electricity to provide power.
Researchers say the wearable can generate about one volt of energy for every square centimetre of skin space, which is less than most existing batteries but enough to power of wearable device.
“whenever you use a battery, you’re depleting that battery and will, eventually, need to replace it…the nice thing about our thermoelectric device is that you can wear it, and it provides you with constant power,” said Jianliang Xiao, senior author of the paper.
While Scientists have previously experimented with similar thermoelectric wearable devices are fully recyclable-making than a cleaner alternative to traditional electronics.
