The power roundup: New developments in the battery space (Vanderbilt undergraduate Thomas Metke demonstrates the ultrathin energy harvesting device which is taped across his elbow. As he flexes his arm the current the device generates is displayed on the computer display. Credit: John Russell, Vanderbilt UniversityScientists have now developed a battery which can be charged by simple, tiny human motions such as walking, moving or simply standing up.
Some really interesting, innovative and more importantly, practical developments have been made to solve the biggest problem which tech market faces right now: Power.
On the other hand, Amazon has patented robots which will follow you around airports, malls, and come to your rescue when you need a power shot for your smartphone or laptop.
Let’s talk about innovation here!
Battery Low? Simply Walk Or Move Now!
Researchers, which includes an Indian at Vanderbilt University’s Nanomaterials and Energy Devices Laboratory have developed a new ultra-thin energy harvesting system, using human motions.
This means that simple human motions such as walking, standing or moving can now generate enough power to charge a smartphone.
Or in other words, humans can now become energy depots.
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Cary Pint, who spearheaded this interesting research said, “In the future, I expect that we will all become charging depots for our personal devices by pulling energy directly from our motions and the environment,”
Created from layers of black phosphorus, which are only few atoms thick, scientists have generated energy by bending them, or by applying small amount of pressure, which mimics human motion such as standing or walking.
Key findings of this research was published in a paper titled “Ultralow Frequency Electrochemical Mechanical Strain Energy Harvester using 2D Black Phosphorus Nanosheets” by the journal ACS Energy Letters.
If we compare to similar research by other institutions, we will find two major advantages with ultra-thin phosphorus based recharging: a) Energy can be generated from tiny movements, which are slower than 10 Hertz or 10 cycles per second b) The atoms of phosphorus are so thin that they can embedded into clothes or skin, in order to generate energy.
Besides, this procedure can be used to create smart clothes as well – Imagine with a swipe on an app on your smartphone, you can instantly change the colors, patterns of your clothes.
Nitin Muralidharan, the only Indian in this team, said, “When you look at Usain Bolt, you see the fastest man on Earth. When I look at him, I see a machine working at 5 Hertz,”
Amazon Patents Robots For Charging Smartphones
Meanwhile Amazon has patented a new system for charging mobiles and other electronic gadgets, which seems practical on first glance.
Under this system, there shall be robots inside airports, malls and other locations.
Whenever the user finds that the battery is really low on their laptops or smartphones, they can summon a robot, via an app on their phone. The robot will find you, and provide you instant charging option.
The patent titled “techniques for mobile device charging using robotic devices,” also mentions monetization method of this service.
In order to use the robot for charging your gadget, you can be asked to view an advertisement or fill a survey. Thus, say, watching a 30 second advertisement can provide you with 15 minutes of charging.
We will keep you updated as we receive more such innovations and inventions in the field of power and energy.
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