Matrix-like wearable device turns the body into a BATTERY

Matrix-like wearable device turns the body into a BATTERY by tapping into a user’s internal heat that is transformed into electricity

  • A new wearable device turns your body into a biological battery 
  • The stretchy device sits on the skin and transforms body heat into electricity 
  • It generates one volt of energy from every square centimetre of skin space
  • The team hopes to increase it to a sports band size to generate five volts
  • This will let users power wearable electronics on the go – no need for cords 

A new wearable device seems to pull inspiration from the film ‘The Matrix’ by transforming the human body into a biological battery.

The stretchy device attaches to the skin like a ring sits on a finger and taps into the user’s natural heat to convert the body’s internal temperature into electricity.

Although the movie shows robots harvesting organic energy from humans, researches at Colorado University (CU) are only generating about one volt of energy from every square centimetre of skin space.

The team eventually sees the technology evolving to the size of a sports wristband that can produce about five volts of electricity, allowing you to power other wearable electronics on the go.

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A new wearable device transforms the human body into a biological battery. The stretchy device attaches to the skin like a ring sits on a finger and taps into the user’s natural heat to convert the body’s internal temperature into electricity

Jianliang Xiao, senior author of the new paper and an associate professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at CU Boulder, said: ‘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.’

Xiao notes that this innovation is not an attempt to meld human with robot, but is a progression on previous work of designing ‘electronic skin’ wearables that looks and acts like human skin.

However, during experiments, the team had to keep the android skin connected to an external power source.

Although 'The Matrix's portrays robots harvesting organic energy from humans, researches at Colorado University (CU) are only generating about one volt of energy from every square centimetre of skin space

Although ‘The Matrix’s portrays robots harvesting organic energy from humans, researches at Colorado University (CU) are only generating about one volt of energy from every square centimetre of skin space

The new wearable device has a stretchy material made of polyimine at the base, which is fitted with a number think thin thermoelectric that are connected with liquid metal wires.

‘The final product looks like a cross between a plastic bracelet and a miniature computer motherboard or maybe a techy diamond ring, the researchers said in a statement.

‘Our design makes the whole system stretchable without introducing much strain to the thermoelectric material, which can be really brittle,’ Xiao said.

Xiao provides an example of a person jogging to explain how the device works.

The new wearable device has a stretchy material made of polyimine at the base, which is fitted with a number think thin thermoelectric that are connected with liquid metal wires

The new wearable device has a stretchy material made of polyimine at the base, which is fitted with a number think thin thermoelectric that are connected with liquid metal wires

The person is out for a jog, which in turn heats up their body, which is released to the cold air around them.

Xiao’s device captures that flow of energy rather than letting it go to waste.

‘The thermoelectric generators are in close contact with the human body, and they can use the heat that would normally be dissipated into the environment,’ he said.

He added that you can easily boost that power by adding in more blocks of generators. In that sense, he compares his design to a popular children’s toy.

Xiao provides an example of a person jogging to explain how the device works. The person is out for a jog, which in turn heats up their body, which is released to the cold air around them. Xiao's device captures that flow of energy rather than letting it go to waste

Xiao provides an example of a person jogging to explain how the device works. The person is out for a jog, which in turn heats up their body, which is released to the cold air around them. Xiao’s device captures that flow of energy rather than letting it go to waste

‘What I can do is combine these smaller units to get a bigger unit,’ he said. ‘It’s like putting together a bunch of small Lego pieces to make a large structure. It gives you a lot of options for customization.’

Eventaually the team hopes to design the small device into a larger system about the size of a traditional sports band, which could generate up to five volts – more than what a watch battery produces.  

‘We’re trying to make our devices as cheap and reliable as possible, while also having as close to zero impact on the environment as possible,’ Xiao said.

While there are still kinks to work out in the design, he thinks that his group’s devices could appear on the market in five to 10 years. Just don’t tell the robots. We don’t want them getting any ideas.