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Our hearts leapt when we heard that scientists are working on a way to power your iPod using power from your own heartbeat. Researchers have developed nanotechnology that draws enough juice from even tiny human movements to power electronic devices — so you really can listen to your heart…
Scientists from the Georgia Institute of Technology showed off their nanogenerator at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. We hear the afterparty at that little get-together was off the chain.
The team from Georgia Tech, led by Dr Zhong Lin Wang, have used the nanogenerators to power LCD displays and diodes, and transmit a radio signal, according to the journal Science. The nanogenerator is made of tiny zinc oxide wires that generate electricity when they’re bent or flexed. 500 of the nanowires can fit in a human hair, which means they’re small enough to draw juice from even tiny movements like a human heartbeat.
Five nanogenerators can generate around 1 micro ampere output current at 3V, which is similar to two AA batteries. Adding more nanogenerators could power a device like an iPod or iPad, or charge a phone. Science, eh? We heart it.
Would you plug your iPod into your internal organs? Let us know in the comments. We’re already looking forward to a Google implant in our heads, smart contact lenses in our eyes and LED tattoos on our skin. We’d definitely get a heart-powered iPod — but only if it could skip a track every time our hearts skip a beat.
