Your own body could be an energy source for future gadgets.
Generating energy from blood sugar | Implantable metabolic fuel cell
Scientists at MIT have developed a glucose-powered fuel cell that can fuel miniature implants and sensors. The device is about 1/100 the diameter of a human hair and generates about 43 microwatts of electricity per square centimeter. The fuel cells could be useful in medicine and for the small but growing number of people who implant electronic gadgets in their bodies for convenience.
"Glucose fuel cells could become useful for powering implantable devices using a fuel that is readily available in the body," Philipp Simons, who developed the design as part of his PhD thesis, told Lifewire in an email interview. "For example, we envision using our glucose fuel cell to power highly miniaturized sensors that measure bodily functions. Think of glucose monitoring for diabetes patients, monitoring heart disease, or tracking biomarkers that identify tumor progression."
The biggest challenge in designing the new fuel cell was coming up with a design that was small enough, Simons said, adding that implantable devices need to be as small as possible to minimize their impact on patients.
