In the hustle and bustle of modern life, there are so many important elements like a smartphone. Smartphone plays an important role in our daily life. But, the major problem while using a smartphone is its battery. The battery of the smartphone gets low with time. And suppose, if you are traveling, it become complicated to charge your phone.
But thanks to this technology. Scientists from the Michigan State University in the US have developed a technology that allows you to charge your phone through your fingertips. That means now it is possible to charge your phone by just a finger swipe. The technology that they have developed is a film like a device that can harvest energy from human motion. It is thin as a paper sheet and can be adapted to many applications and sizes.
Scientists named this device as Nanogenerator. Through this device, scientists successfully operated an LCD touch screen, a bank of 20 LED lights and a flexible keyboard. This all is done by simply touching or pressing motion and without the need of a battery.
Professor Nelson Sepulveda said, “We’re on the path towards wearable devices powered by human motion. What I foresee, relatively soon, is the capability of not having to charge your cell phone for an entire week, for example, because that energy will be produced by your movement.”
The device consists of all eco-friendly materials. It consists of silicon wafers, silver, polyimide, polypropylene ferroelectric and ions. The silicon wafers are embedded with several layers or thin sheets. Scientists included ions because each layer in the device contains charged particles. Electrical energy is created when the device is compressed by human motion or mechanical energy.
The device is also known as a biocompatible ferroelectret nanogenerator, or FENG.
Sepulveda said, “Each time you fold it you are increasing exponentially the amount of voltage you are creating. You can start with a large device, but when you fold it once, and again, and again, it’s now much smaller and has more energy.”
“Now it may be small enough to put in a specially made heel of your shoe so it creates power each time your heel strikes the ground,” he added.
When the device is used to power the LED lights, it was palm-sized whereas it was finger sized when charging for a phone.
Its advantages make it as a promising and alternative method in the field of mechanical energy harvesting for many autonomous electronics. For example, wireless headsets, cell phones, and other touch-screen devices.