Gadgets that run on body heat
All you warm bodied people may have an advantage with this new innovation. You may soon be able to power your personal devices like mobile phones, iPods, digital cameras and other devices using just your own body heat. Whats best is you dont need to be riding a bike with a dynamo or walking on the treadmill!
The new circuits utilize the principle of thermoelectric generators (TEG) made from semiconductor elements. According to the scientists, from Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits the TEGs extract electrical energy simply from the temperature difference between a hot and a cold environment. Normally, a difference of several tens of degrees would be required in order to generate enough power, but the difference between the body’s surface temperature and that of its environment is only a few degrees. To boost the energy, they combined a number of components that store up the energy until there’s enough to operate the electronic device.
The photo shows a wireless transmitter being powered by the heat given off by a person’s hand via a thermoelectric generator with the output being displayed on the screen.
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