In Singapore, a way has been discovered to convert human sweat into energy that can be used to power small electronic devices
The annoying human sweat is the great protagonist of a new discovery made by researchers at the National University of Singapore: the experts of the NUS have in fact found a way to obtain enough energy from it to power small electronic devices. How? Thanks to an innovative film capable of converting human sweat into small amounts of electrical energy.
This special film created by NUS researchers is composed of 2 hygroscopic chemicals, namely cobalt chloride and ethanolamine, which are able to absorb and store the moisture produced by human sweat in a particularly effective way (15 times more than more conventional materials).
The experts applied a wearable energy-harvesting device to it, which contains 8 electrochemical (EC) cells that use the film itself as an electrolyte. During the energy absorption phase, each of these cells is capable of generating about 0.57 volts of electricity, an amount of energy sufficient to power a light-emitting diode (LED).
The film can be "regenerated" and used up to 100 times. A special feature envisioned by the researchers is that the film can change color (from blue to purple) to show the user how much sweat has been absorbed so far.
Although the amount of energy obtained in this way is not much, this new discovery by researchers at the National University of Singapore opens the door to the possibility of powering small electronic devices using human sweat generated individually during physical activity, without the need for a powerbank.
Another important advantage, more immediate, is represented by the possibility of keeping cooler and drier during physical activity, especially in an area of the world, that of Southeast Asia, characterized by a particularly humid climate.
Although the discovery made in Singapore has quickly made the rounds of the world, it is still too early to know when it will be possible to buy devices made with the special film created by the experts of the NUS. At the moment, in fact, a date for the release of the product on the market has not yet been officially communicated.