Researchers in Bahia Develop System That Charges Electronics While Users Walk the Streets

Researchers from Bahia Are Working on New Technology That Allows the Generation of Energy During the Walking Process. New Prototype May Arrive in the Coming Months.

Researchers from Bahia are studying the possibility of producing and collecting energy from the walking process. In this scenario, the simple movement of steps would become a renewable and clean energy source. The kinetic energy harvesting technology is being developed through a Federal University of the São Francisco Valley (Univasf), Juazeiro campus, led by Professor Helinando Pequeno de Oliveira.

Scientists from Bahia Want to Develop ‘Wearable Devices’ for Energy Harvesting from Walking

The project in Bahia studies how to manufacture wearable electronics with the aim of developing pieces that can collect energy from walking and transform it into electricity to charge electronic devices. Helinando emphasizes that the main goal of the research in Bahia is to produce a device that gathers energy from body movement.

The intent is for the triboelectric generator to capture energy from body movements and contact with clothing items like shirts, pants, and shoes. This energy will then be directed to power an energy storage device, such as a capacitor or supercapacitor, which in turn will provide the charge for electronic devices, making their operation independent of external recharging.

The team has been working on electronic wearables since 2018, focusing on energy storage, antibacterial activity, and heat generation. According to one of the researchers, the material needs to be comfortable, durable, washable, resistant to washing machine strains, and long-lasting. The idea is for it to be completely integrable into the clothing item.

It is possible to cite as an example a prototype for use in the insole of a shoe. When the user steps on the ground, energy spikes are generated that are stored in a device that provides all the stored energy to charge a cell phone.

Prototype of Device capable of Generating Energy to Be Presented Soon

The project, which has partnerships with the São Paulo State University (Unesp), the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), and the University of Araraquara (Uniara), is under development. The researchers from Bahia plan to present a prototype in the coming months.

According to the professor, the team is trying to arrive at a patentable wearable energy nanogenerator (TENG) soon. In addition to Helinando, the team includes André Luiz, Iuri Custodio, and Hermane Barud.

The State Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (Secti) launched on National Science and Scientific Researcher Day, July 8, 2019, a series of reports on how Bahian researchers and scientists develop work in science, technology, and innovation to contribute to improving the quality of life of the population in important areas such as health, security, education, and others.

Other Advances in Energy Generation Through the Body

In addition to these advances in Bahia, the team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the United States developed a biofilm that can harness an energy source that had not been explored much until now: evaporation.

In summary, the researchers are able to generate clean energy from human sweat. The research team developed a biofilm that transforms moisture from the skin into energy, managing to generate continuous and stable renewable energy that can be used as an adhesive applied directly to the skin.

According to Xiaomeng Liu, a graduate student in electrical and computer engineering at the College of Electrical Engineering at UMass Amherst and the lead author of the article, this is very exciting technology and is truly clean energy, and unlike other sources called clean energy, its production is completely green.