Working up a sweat could one day power your gadgets (via US San Diego)
Working out produces a lot of perspiration in an effort to keep our bodies cool but what if we could harness that sweat to provide power to our gadgets? That’s precisely what researchers at UC San Diego are developing in the form of a temporary tattoo. The temporary tattoo-like sensor can monitor activity while working out and takes advantage of lactate that’s present in perspiration to generate electricity. Essentially, the more you strain during exercise, the more your body produces lactate and therefore more power.
The sensor works by using an enzyme that collects the electrons from lactate, which in turn produces a moderate electrical current. What’s interesting is that the sensor is also powered by the sweat as well, making it a kind of biobattery. During testing of the sensor, athletes were able to generate a modest 70 microwatts per square centimeters of skin surface area. That’s not much but the researchers are hoping to refine their design to generate enough electricity to power small gadgets like smart-watches, MP3 players and mobile medical devices sometime in the near future.
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