Imagine if you could create energy by simply moving. Sounds far fetched, but researchers at the University of Bolton in the UK are working on a new type of clothing that could do just that.
The scientists have created a new material–they’re calling it a flexible piezoelectric fiber–that can be woven into fabric to create energy producing clothing. The material is able to produce energy simply from movement. And the team is also working on adding the sun into the mix, so that your shirt could potentially be solar powered as well.
“The most immediate applications will be in the area of low-power microelectronic-driven devices like mobiles, laptops, MP3s, iPads–anything that requires re-chargeable batteries or small batteries to run,” explained Professor Elias Siores. “Obviously you wouldn’t leave your laptop out in the wind and the rain but movement created by being carried in its case or being placed near a widow could be enough to generate the energy to recharge it.
“The next challenge will then be to improve on the power conversion through on-going research and development so it can feed more power-hungry systems.”
Via Treehugger
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