Sure, you could count on wind or solar to power the future, but why not something more unlikely, and therefore more interesting? A new power generator created at the University of Michigan uses ambient vibrations in the air to generate power. Even distant sounds or a human walking around with it can cause the cells to pump out juice. They don’t currently make much power, so don’t think you’ll have one in your laptop or smartphone anytime soon, but smaller electronics could benefit.
The technology works by utilizing a piezoelectric material that produces a current when stressed. The breakthrough here is that any vibrations can activate the device. Previous versions required predictable “periodic” vibrations. As it stands, the generator can produce 0.5 milliwatts just by being carrier around by a human. That’s more than enough to power a pacemaker or a watch. We’re certainly holding out hope that the capacity increases in the future
Image via Physorg
