Nanowires Convert Rat's Heartbeat Into Usable Electricity
Rat Nano-Generator A single zinc oxide nanowire can be attached to a rat's heart, where it produces electric current as it bends with every beat. Via Tech Review Zhong Lin Wang via Technology Review Nanowires inside a rat can convert the power of breathing and heartbeats into electricity, according to researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The nano-generator could conceivably lead to nano-scale medical implants and sensors powered by the body, Technology Review reports. The same GIT team proved five years ago that zinc oxide nanowires could produce electricity from a running hamster, for instance, or from tapping fingers. The wires produce electricity when under mechanical stress, called the piezoelectric effect. But now, it's been proven to work inside a living animal. Zhong Lin Wang, a materials science and engineering professor at Georgia Tech, led the team that attached the nano-generator to a rat's diaphragm. Researchers put a zinc oxide...