Body Heat-Powered Electronics Now a Reality

There is a sudden trend to discover different ways in which we can convert heat into alternative forms of energy. Until recently, most of these studies have been conducted using the excess heat being produced. Two individuals from MIT decided to study how they could convert the hear produced by the body and the air to power electronic devices. Once viewed as purely a hypothesis it has finally become a reality as they are in the process of developing heat-harvesting electronics.

Imagine a world in which you would no longer have to change the batteries in your remote, toys, and household appliances because the batteries would never die. Professors Anantha Chandrakasan and alumnus Yogesh Ramadass have found a way to make this a reality. They have created a top-secret method that allows a wide assortment of electronic devices the ability to capture body heat and convert it into energy for daily operation.

The first set of studies has shown that the pair have been unable to produce a large amount of power required for many of our daily electronics. This is only viewed as minor hindrance because the pair have already shown that their technology actually works. They have been able to power several biomedical devices such as blood sugar monitors and electronic hearts.

It was also reported to me that they were able to power hard to reach electronics such as air quality monitors in both heating and ventilation ducts. Also, this technology would allow them to provide electricity to exhaust gas monitors in the hard to reach flues of industrial plants. The pair's technology could revolutionize the way we power our low-energy electrical devices. It could also revolutionize how we power our large scale electrical devices someday as well.

You might be wondering what this means for the industry and us consumers. For the industry this could hurt battery manufacturers because sales would decrease due to their no longer being a need. Consumers would be provided with a green alternative at creating additional energy and make changing batteries a much easier task. The technology is still in development and there is no information as to when it will come out. Simply stay tuned here and I will keep you up to date the best I can.

Sources:

1. Steven A. Mottor, My Own Review, 2010.

2. MIT, http://web.mit.edu/press/2010/mit-researchers-develop-heat-powered-electronics.html, 2010