A team of Scottish and Irish scientists, from institutes including Heriot-Watt University, have begun research into new wearable tech which could generate energy while you walk.
The multi-disciplined group of researchers, including scientists from the Heriot-Watt University’s Research Institute for Flexible Materials, are hoping to harvest the kinetic energy generated in clothing.
Attempts are being made to create a “friction-based wearable autonomous energy system” the team says, which uses “cutting-edge” nanogenerators designed to capture energy within materials as the wearer moves.
Scientists have said that, if successful the tiny, unobtrusive devices could be woven into everyday clothing.
The wearable tech could be available as early as 2027 and capable of powering a host of devices such as mobile phones, smartwatches and tablets.
Professor George Stylios from Heriot-Watt’s School of Textiles and Design is leading on the textile aspects of the project. He is investigating ways to develop and integrate the technology into garments.
He said: “As humans, we collectively expend a huge amount of energy as we move around so why not capture this and put it to good use?
“To do so would not only benefit the planet in our fight against climate change but also deliver ongoing convenience to people’s lives.
“The fabric type and mechanics, and most importantly the surface interaction of the fabric, is vital in enabling us to generate enough energy by the coupling effect of motion and nano-technology to generate a renewable source of electricity.”
In the same way that static electricity is created, scientists are looking to optimise the friction generated between two materials to generate a charge. They are developing a flexible fabric known as a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) to harness and store this sustainable energy source.
Previous attempts to create fabric TENG’s have failed largely due to them being unable to generate adequate power. However, this latest project aims to use specialist materials to “maximise fabric friction” and design a highly efficient TENG with enhanced performance.
Professor Stylios continued: “Our biggest challenge is increasing our power output in order to make this a viable option. For example, textile TENGs currently produce power in the microwatt to milliwatt range.
“We need to drastically increase the level of friction in order to achieve an output of hundreds of milliwatts, which is required to power most mobile devices.
“Our answer to this problem is to create an extremely efficient energy generation fabric material for use in every garment. We are looking to optimise friction and using advanced material processing techniques to produce surfaces that work on micron-sized fibres.”
While the idea of wearable tech storing electricity may sound dangerous, Professor Stylios says the technology is “safe to wear and use” since the levels of current output are “very low posing no harm to the user.”
The four-year project has received the backing of the main funding body for engineering and physical sciences research in the UK and Ireland, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), which have awarded £1.9 million to advance the research.
The project, titled Next Generation Triboelectric Nano Generator based Energy Autonomous Textile Fabrics, involves the University of Glasgow, the Institute of Technology Sligo, Tyndall National Institute and Heriot-Watt’s School of Textiles and Design. Each institution is contributing a diverse set of specialisms in areas such as tribology, materials chemistry, electronics and textiles.
Source: DIGIT