A brisk walk could charge your mobile - if you're wearing the right outfit, that is.
Nanotechnologists at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, have created a material that can produce and store its own electricity. "We wanted to utilise the soft fibre-based devices to convert solar energy or motion energy into electricity," says Zhong Lin Wang, 55, who worked on the study.
Using cylindrica dye-sensitised solar cells and nanogenerator fibres which create energy when rubbed together, the material can harvest power from the Sun or its wearer's movement. They suggest it could one day be incorporated in the designs of watch straps, bracelets or even T-shirts.
The bad news? The prototype is still "four to five years" from full production. "Performance and robustness were challenges," says Wang. And then there are the hygiene issues. "Anything you put in a washing machine will be destroyed." In other words: this one's for dry-cleaning only.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
