Bio-hybrid harvester generates electricity from human cells
One reason we don't yet have powerful cyborgs roaming our streets is the batteries needed to power the electromechanical side. They are bulky and prone to running out of juice. Interestingly, the biological side – our bodies – run 24/7 on inherent chemical, mechanical, and electrical energy. Scientists have now developed a way to harness some of the body's energy to power wearables and implants.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed an ultrathin, flexible electronic mesh that integrates with living human heart cells and converts their mechanical movements into electricity.
The device, called a biohybrid mesh harvester, features numerous tiny piezoelectric generators distributed across a flexible network that living cells can grow into and around. As the cells contract, they deform these generators, producing electricity. In laboratory tests, researchers say the technology achieved more than 10 times the effective energy density of conventional energy-harvesting approaches. The research...
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