Piezoelectric chin device harvests jaw movements for energy

Monday, September 22, 2014 - 13:00 in Physics & Chemistry

Two researchers share the wish for more autonomy for mobile technologies, greater convenience for consumers contemplating electronic wearables, and better solutions for avoiding the environmental effects of cast-off batteries. A quest for human-powered electronics may be worth contemplating; in this context their piezoelectric chin-strap to harvest energy from chewing is drawing interest. Kinetic energy (limb motion), strain energy (muscle force), and thermal energy (body heat) are three forms of energy that can be harvested from the human body, said the two in their report, "Flexible piezoelectric energy harvesting from jaw movements," which appears in Smart Materials and Structures. Their paper details the energy conversions and transformations that occur while the device is in operation.

Read the whole article on Physorg

More from Physorg

Latest Science Newsletter

Get the latest and most popular science news articles of the week in your Inbox! It's free!

Check out our next project, Biology.Net