This tiny wearable device could turn you into a battery in no time

The past few years have seen a huge boom in the development of wearable technology. Researchers and companies have come up with unique wearable devices. For example, last year we saw Sony launch a wearable AC to beat the summer heat. And just recently, wearable devices have emerged that can tell employers about an employee’s mood and mental state. Now, researchers have devised a small wearable device that can essentially turn the human body into a biological battery to power electronic devices.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a material that converts body heat into electricity when worn on the body in the form of a bracelet or ring. The researchers started their project with the question: “Can we convert human body heat into electrical energy to power electronic devices?” As it turns out, they can do it using something called a thermoelectric generator (TEG).

TEGs are small conversion catalysts that can convert human body heat into electrical energy. These solid-state devices perform their tasks through a phenomenon called the Seebeck effect.

Now, in order to apply these to human skin, the researchers needed them to be stretchable and, more importantly, flexible. So the research team used TEG to devise a suitable device that users could wear as a bracelet or a highly technical ring.

The device, called a Soft Motherboard Rigid Plug-in Module (SOM-RIP), attaches to the skin and converts body heat into electrical energy to power small electronic devices.

“In the future, we hope to be able to power wearable electronics without batteries,” said Jianliang Xiao, lead author of the study.

Although the device is currently in the idea and concept stage, researchers believe it has a lot of potential for the future. Currently, the concept device can generate about 1 volt of energy per square centimeter of human skin. Researchers say this could power small electronic devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers.

Xiao’s TEG-based device not only converts body heat into electrical energy, but also automatically repairs itself if damaged and is fully recyclable. The team made the device customizable, allowing users to connect smaller units of the device to each other to create larger, more powerful structures. Xiao likens the feature to the popular children’s toy Lego , saying it’s like “many small Lego pieces put together to create a large structure.”

The concept is currently under development in the Paul M. Ready Department of Mechanical Engineering at UW Boulder. Researchers recently shared a research paper on Science Advances . You can also check out the official instructional video about this technology below.

Although currently in a very early stage, the team expects the device to be commercially available in the market within the next five to 10 years. This eliminates the need for charging adapters or wireless chargers to charge your electronic devices.