The Matrix-Like Device Generates Electricity From The Human Body

The device is made of a stretchy material that users can wear on their fingers like a ring

Every day, scientists are coming up with new concepts to baffle our minds. Many of these concepts look like they have come straight out of a science fiction movie, such as The Matrix. Just recently, researchers at the Colorado University designed a device that could generate electricity by using the body’s heat.

 

The electricity-generating The Matrix device

The device is made of a stretchy material that users can wear on their fingers like a ring. This device converts the thermal energy from the body into electricity, which can then be used to charge other electronic devices on the go.

The main purpose of this The Matrix-inspired device is to make use of the body’s heat energy, which would otherwise go to waste as it dissipates out of the body. Eventually, the team of researchers aims to upscale this device into a wristband that could provide electricity up to 5 volts. Currently, the device only generates up to a single volt of energy per square centimeter of skin area.

 

The senior author of the research paper, Jianliang Xiao said, “Whenever you use a battery, you’re depleting that battery and will, eventually, need to replace it.”

The author further added that this The Matrix-like device is not meant to unify humans with machines. Instead, this device only aims to build upon the work that is previously done on electronic skins.

 

Regarding the stretchy design of this The Matrix-like device, Xiao stated, “Our design makes the whole system stretchable without introducing much strain to the thermoelectric material, which can be really brittle”

Furthermore, Xiao gave the example of ‘jogging’ to explain how this device works. When a person goes out for a jog, the body heats up and releases heat into the cold air surrounding the person.

Thermoelectric generators in this The Matrix-inspired device captures this heat energy and transforms it into electricity. Adding in more generator blocks will simply boost the power. However, it might have some design constraints that scientists must investigate next.

 

Xiao believes that these The Matrix-inspired devices will be market-ready within the next 5 – 10 years. Other inventions such as the 3D-bio-printed rib eye steak and DIY steak kits from human cells are also gaining a lot of traction. What is next? We are in for plenty of technological surprises in the future.

 

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