Human Electricity

From water generated electricity to wind generated and now to human. Who would have ever imagined that one day our own bodies could be used to generate power?

A small device called the “nanogenerator” has been developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology by two graduates, Zhong Lin Wang and Jinhui Song. The prototype is designed to convert energy made by the human body into power through stretching etc. They have discovered that when the zinc oxide nanowires bend and flex they produce an electric current. Apparently this is produced when different materials are under mechanical stress.

As Wang explains, the next step is to try it inside the human body. “You could envision having these nanogenerators in your shoes to produce electricity as you walk,” Wang said. “This could be beneficial for soldiers in the field, who now depend on batteries to power their electrical equipment. As long as the soldiers were moving, they could generate electricity.”

From water generated electricity to wind generated and now to human. Who would have ever imagined that one day our own bodies could be used to generate power?

A small device called the “nanogenerator” has been developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology by two graduates, Zhong Lin Wang and Jinhui Song. The prototype is designed to convert energy made by the human body into power through stretching etc. They have discovered that when the zinc oxide nanowires bend and flex they produce an electric current. Apparently this is produced when different materials are under mechanical stress.

As Wang explains, the next step is to try it inside the human body. “You could envision having these nanogenerators in your shoes to produce electricity as you walk,” Wang said. “This could be beneficial for soldiers in the field, who now depend on batteries to power their electrical equipment. As long as the soldiers were moving, they could generate electricity.”