Possibly the biggest issue of all small electronic devices is how to have enough power and last longer before a recharge.
Japanese company Ricoh, approached this problem in quite a different way. They produced a rubber material that can generate electric power. It is a piezoelectric polymer, which, thanks to its high level of efficiency, converts pressure and vibrations into electric energy, while retaining elasticity and durability. Piezoelectric raw materials exist in two forms - ceramic and polymer. Both create electric energy under mechanical load. Polymers are, however, lighter than heavy ceramics, flexible and durable, but - so far - never reached the same degree of efficiency during energy conversion.
Ricoh claim their rubber is very flexible and also offers good energy efficiency. Further, they say this rubber is longer lasting that other polymers and has survived repeated use over several million times. Even a small amount of load produces power, which increases proportionally as mechanical input rises. Ricoh are not telling us in much detail about the operating principle of the new rubber or its exact specification. They hope future research and development will result in a commercially available material that could be used in a variety of sensors and other areas of electronics.