Science Chats Forum

online.education · #1 02-14-2008, 05:19 AM

Quote:

ScienceDaily (Feb. 14, 2008) — Nanotechnology researchers are developing the perfect complement to the power tie: a "power shirt" able to generate electricity to power small electronic devices for soldiers in the field, hikers and others whose physical motion could be harnessed and converted to electrical energy.

The February 14 issue of the journal Nature details how pairs of textile fibers covered with zinc oxide nanowires can generate electrical current using the piezoelectric effect. Combining current flow from many fiber pairs woven into a shirt or jacket could allow the wearer's body movement to power a range of portable electronic devices. The fibers could also be woven into curtains, tents or other structures to capture energy from wind motion, sound vibration or other mechanical energy.

"The fiber-based nanogenerator would be a simple and economical way to harvest energy from physical movement," said Zhong Lin Wang, a Regents professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "If we can combine many of these fibers in double or triple layers in clothing, we could provide a flexible, foldable and wearable power source that, for example, would allow people to generate their own electrical current while walking."

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0213133347.htm

I'm not so sure if, in near future, this will be implemented in some way to generate electricity, but it's a pretty cool prototype nonetheless.

TVDinner · #2 02-14-2008, 07:54 AM

starting to sound more and more like "the terminator". not sure how safe i feel having thousands of tiny computers on me all the time....

Solar · #3 02-15-2008, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TVDinner

starting to sound more and more like "the terminator". not sure how safe i feel having thousands of tiny computers on me all the time....

In 10 - 15 years from now it will be standard in all clothes, whether you want it or not.
I wouldn't feel unsafe wearing these clothes, as long as all these computers are not connected to one giant computer. There lies the danger IMHO.

TVDinner · #4 02-15-2008, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solar

In 10 - 15 years from now it will be standard in all clothes, whether you want it or not.
I wouldn't feel unsafe wearing these clothes, as long as all these computers are not connected to one giant computer. There lies the danger IMHO.

says who?????????????? - "whether you want it or not" is not acceptable to me. not now, or in 10-15 years.

ScienceGirl · #5 02-15-2008, 11:00 PM

The article wasn't about "thousands of tiny computers on you all the time", it was about thousands of tiny electricity generating fibers woven into the clothing of the future. You could then use this captured energy to power a small electronic device. If energy costs much more money in the future, you may decide you like the idea. This has nothing to do with computers taking over the world (which in itself is a very unlikely scenario).

online.education · #6 02-16-2008, 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScienceGirl

If energy costs much more money in the future, you may decide you like the idea. This has nothing to do with computers taking over the world (which in itself is a very unlikely scenario).

The demand keeps going up while traditional energy sources like oil and coals will run out at some point. So, naturally, energy costs of these sources will go up. However, it seems unlikely that the energy created using this technology will become cheaper in near future. In some future, perhaps, but not in near future ...

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