'Power Felt' Could Charge Cell Phones Using Body Heat (VIDEO)

Researchers at Wake Forest University have developed "Power Felt," a piece of material capable of turning body heat -- together with outside temperatures -- into an electrical current that can charge electronic devices. In the photo, graduate student Corey Hewitt holds up a sample of the material.

Charging your cell phone may soon require only two items: a simple piece of fabric and your body.

Researchers at Wake Forest University have developed a "Power Felt" that uses thermoelectric technology to charge devices such as cell phones, according to a press release issued by the school.

Working in conjunction with outside temperatures, the material is capable of turning body heat into an electrical current to keep personal electronics devices up and running.

Currently, the material only produces 140 nanowatts of power, which Gizmodo points out is about "a millionth of the power your iPhone uses when its idle," but scientists are doing further research and hoping to drastically improve the quality of the material.

Eventually, the research team at the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials hopes to market a phone-sized fabric swatch for just $1.

According to a video demonstration, charging a phone with the material is easy: just attach the fabric near the battery and hold the device in your hand, graduate student Corey Hewitt explained to WFMY News.

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Hewitt says that with further improvements, the device might come in handy for distance runners who need to charge their digital music players while they're out on the town.

"I imagine being able to make a jacket with a completely thermoelectric inside liner that gathers warmth from body heat, while the exterior remains cold from the outside temperature, Hewitt said in the media release. "It’s pretty cool to think about, and it’s definitely within reach.”

In addition to the obvious convenience factor, lead researcher David Carroll said the material might be useful in urgent situations.

“Imagine it in an emergency kit, wrapped around a flashlight, powering a weather radio...” Carroll said in the release.

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Comments

[susanbsbi]

10:59 AM on 02/26/2012

Sounds very interesting,, they can send me a sample and I will try it out for them. If this works it will be great, as I have to carry my charge with me every where I go. Let hopes this works and not a scam.

[SwiftJonathan]

04:02 PM on 02/26/2012

It can't work. Your body produces 100W of heat. You can, maybe, cover a couple of percent of it with a device to convert that heat into electric energy. And even that would be fairly large. The average human body has 1.75m^2 of area, that's about 20 square feet. So a couple percent of that is about 0.4 square foot, which is much larger than a phone. A couple percent of 100W is 2W. The limiting factor is Carnot efficiency, which is given by eta = 1 - T_cold/T_hot = 1 - (20 + 273)/(30 + 273) = 3.3%. So now you are getting, at the very, very best case, a power output of 2W * 3.3% = 66mW. In reality these kinds of devices are way, way less efficient than the thermodynamic limit, so it's going to be a fraction of that.

A typical smart phone battery is between 5-10Wh and lasts about a week on standby, so the phone consumes about 5Wh/(7*24) = 30mW on standby... about 30 times as much when you use it.

So there is no way that one can make a practical device like this work.

[Alan Crooks]

10:58 AM on 02/26/2012

I played a game with this story; I counted how many posts it took for someone to try (pathetically) to link this to politics. Guess... 8 posts! Well done you boring fool.

[SwiftJonathan]

12:55 AM on 02/26/2012

The trivial answer of thermodynamics to this matter is "No, it can't.".

[MiddletownHal]

03:12 PM on 02/25/2012

For one dollar I can send you instructions on how to turn your IPhone 3 or 4 into a mirror!

[dwhuston]

09:36 AM on 02/25/2012

It might be useful, but only if its made about a million times more efficient.

[onionboy]

01:07 PM on 02/24/2012

"Honey, if you want to charge your phone, you're going to have to climb on top and do some work."

[Jason Holland]

12:50 PM on 02/24/2012

Didn't Tesla kind of invent this almost 100 years ago? I think his concept was running power from the electricity in one's body.

[onionboy]

01:06 PM on 02/24/2012

I don't think his was felt.

[Jose A Ibarra]

12:45 PM on 02/24/2012

Something like this could really change the way we use cell phones and other handheld devices.

The concept is just awesome.

[Budd LaFever]

11:53 AM on 02/24/2012

I'll plug mine in some Republican... Where I do not dare...LOL

[Kymberlie Ingalls]

11:50 AM on 02/24/2012

Okay, now we're just getting a little too creepy with our technology... This could take 'sexting' to a whole new level.

~ www.neuroticy.com ~

[jsarets]

11:01 AM on 02/24/2012

Most people would be better served by moving the LTE modem into a separate WiFi hotspot with a removable battery interface and a near-field wireless charging interface (e.g. Qi). This offloads the substantial power consumption of the LTE modem from the handset and allows the handset to be charged from the hotspot, e.g. in a pocket or bag, both permitting a smaller and lighter internal battery in the handset. The hotspot batteries could also be swapped without powering down the handset (only disrupting LTE connectivity at most). And of course, the hotspot could serve LTE connectivity and/or battery charging to multiple handsets, tablets, and assorted *book devices.

[hotradiodj]

10:12 AM on 02/24/2012

i will not use it.

[Gregorio Cortez Garcia]

01:54 AM on 02/24/2012

What about using something w much more charging potential, like bicycles, gym equipment, even the movement created from jogging...??? These methods are already a natural generator. When are we gonna see charging interfaces that harness all this 'wasted' generation of energy..???

[Atomkinder]

03:29 PM on 02/24/2012

Agreed. I imagine the gym I go to could probably power a significant portion of the building with all the machines there, especially the running track (boy does the static build up!) and the stationary bikes. Stationary running machines might be a bit harder, as they rely on a power source to drive the surface and not the runner's efforts.

[Marcusarilius]

01:34 AM on 02/24/2012

Well, that leaves Romney out. No, I'm sure he has a few up-graded USB ports built in somewhere.

[ItWasntMeReally]

01:01 AM on 02/24/2012

Can it take air as a heat source?  If so, our energy problems are solved.  We have the largest source of h0t /\ir in none other than the Republican party.

[Peter Combs]

01:07 AM on 02/24/2012

give it a rest...and try to appreciate the potential of a product like this..

[ItWasntMeReally]

01:46 AM on 02/24/2012

OK grandpa. How long you been a commentNazi?

[Chpach67]

07:13 AM on 02/24/2012

Pete, some people just can't help but inject politics in every topic no matter what. It's best to ignore them like the trolls.

[jsarets]

09:47 AM on 02/24/2012

It works on the difference in temperature across the fabric, so in most weather conditions, the ambient air is the source of cold (i.e. a heat sink). If the air temperature is close to skin temperature, let's say 90-100F, then the available power source is minimal, and the electrical power output is negligible.

In short, this system will work best in cold weather.

[crescent20]

01:38 PM on 02/24/2012

So, could this be developed as part of an underwater power station? Using the lower temperature of subsurface ocean water to continually act as the heat sink for a geodesic dome or other pressure structure filled with air or gas. Gas that is in turn the heat sink for a device using this technology in some form, and using geothermal heat?

Perhaps I am not giving a good description, but after reading this article and your comment, I got a half formed idea, and thought you might be able to give me some insight on its practicality and where I might find more information on this topic. I was thinking about spacecraft actually, the necessary life support systems, and the loss of heat to the vacuum of space. Then half imagined a way to use that loss of heat as an advantage and heat sink, coupled with a 'limitless' supply of heat. Replacing the vacuum of space with the cold of the ocean floor seems like an interesting idea to me. Also the only reason I suggest a pressure structure filled with gas is that I do not know if this cloth can be adapted or developed to act properly while submerged since it is based on a temperature differential which is achieved more easily in gas than liquid. Well, that, and easier maintenance by workers inside a pressure dome vs. scuba suits.

[ItWasntMeReally]

02:58 PM on 02/24/2012

So in certain places, hotter places on the planet where the air is actually above 100 that should still be workable. I had heard that two "poles" are needed for this to work, a hotter one and a colder one, in order to generate electricity from the temperature differential. Is that true? If that's the case then in the hotter places a colder source of of temperature would still be needed, such as underground water.