In an effort to create green mobile phones, those brainy bods over at Princeton University came up with an idea of how to harness the power of the human body, to give us all the power we need to charge up our mobile phones, MP3 players and the likes. So what did they come up?
A chip. To put it simply, it’s a very special chip constructed from rubber and ceramic nanoribbons; that when flexed, generates electrical energy that can be both used and stored. The thinking is that you can embed the chip into a pair of rubber soled shoes and that the very motion of walking would generate energy to charge your mobile phone.
In fact, if the chip is placed inside the body, in the very proximity of the lungs, the action of breathing would even charge a pacemaker, this kind of technology would be amazing as it would reduce the need for future surgeries to the patient. The chip is so powerful it is able to convert 80% of mechanical energy into electrical energy. The chip is not currently being mass produced but, when it is, it will be an inexpensive product that is environmentally friendly. Using the power of the body is nothing new, but the thinking behind this device is radical, relatively simple and not that far into the future.
So as long as Princeton University is not an anagram for Skylab and your name is not Sarah Connor it sounds like a great idea…
