Like all electronic devices, wearable sensors need a source of power. Batteries are an option but are not necessarily ideal because they can be bulky, heavy, and run out of charge.
A team of researchers has been developing these sensors as well as novel approaches to power them using the human body itself. Previously, they created a sensor that could monitor health indicators in human sweat that is powered by sweat itself. They developed a new way to power wireless wearable sensors: harvests kinetic energy that is produced by a person as they move around.
This energy harvesting is done with a thin sandwich of materials (Teflon, copper, and polyimide) that are attached to the person’s skin. As the person moves, these sheets of material rub against a sliding layer made of copper and polyimide, and generate small amounts of electricity. The effect, known as triboelectricity, is perhaps best illustrated by the static electric shock a person might receive after walking across a carpeted floor and then touching a metal doorknob.
Source: Pasadena Now
Name of Author: Emily Velasco