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    Researchers Create Fabric That Converts Body Heat Into Electricity [VIDEO]

    We've all heard of solar power and wind power, but researchers at Wake Forest are developing another alternative form of power: thermoelectrics. They've created a fabric -- comprised of tiny carbon nanotubes -- that can convert body heat into an electric charge.

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    The device, called Power Felt, uses temperature differences to create electricity.

    “We waste a lot of energy in the form of heat. For example, recapturing a car’s energy waste could help improve fuel mileage and power the radio, air conditioning or navigation system,” graduate student Corey Hewitt Hewitt says. “Generally thermoelectrics are an underdeveloped technology for harvesting energy, yet there is so much opportunity.”

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    How might we see Power Felt used in practical applications? The researchers say it could line car seats for a battery boost or line clothing garments to power devices that monitor performance or your iPod -- among other uses.

    “Imagine it in an emergency kit, wrapped around a flashlight, powering a weather radio, charging a prepaid cellphone,” says David Carroll, director of the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials and head of the team leading this research. “Literally, just by sitting on your phone, Power Felt could provide relief during power outages or accidents.”

    The researchers are still looking for ways to improve the device, but the university is also in talks with investors to bring Power Felt to the market.

    Check out the video above to learn more.

    Thumbnail image courtesy of Wake Forest

    This story originally published on Mashable here.

     
    • jerru  •  San Antonio, Texas  •  3 mths ago
      Awesome. Now if they can put some of that fabric across the mouths of politicians, we'd have energy independence.
      • Joshua 2 mths ago
        No kidding--they move all the time.
      • Doom 2 mths ago
        Funny Sh**
    • Raven  •  Cleveland, Ohio  •  3 mths ago
      Have sex on bedsheets made of this and power the whole house.
      • Joshua 2 mths ago
        . . . I don't think that's how it works . . . but hey, whatever you can dream, try.
      • SEKSE 2 mths ago
        why go through that much trouble to power the house for 45 second? lol
    • AnthonyS  •  San Diego, California  •  3 mths ago
      There is a vast amount of energy in our world that goes to waste everyday, especially in the form of heat and light. Once we can find a way to effectively harness this near unlimited amount of energy, oil dependence will become a thing of the past. We'll look back at our oil consumption habits and think: " Was that really our best idea at the time?".
      • Nun2bryte 3 mths ago
        We already know that it's not the best idea. It's the cheapest and most abundant. If you control it, you control everything else. Some day the practicality of alternative energy will be mainstream and you can already see it happening everywhere, even within our government. If anything, it seems as if the government has taken advantage of it more than the free market will allow for anyone else, probably because they get to act outside of said market.
      • J. 3 mths ago
        The largest amount of lost energy is from the flatulence emitted from the mouths of politicians; now if we could harness that overnight the country would be energy independent.
      • Mario 3 mths ago
        That's right, J. Unfortunately our technology on Scatology is in its infancy, and when we try to harness it, the only product we get is "verbal diarrhea".
    • Thomas K  •  3 mths ago
      Sounds great until you walk across the carpet in winter and create a static charge big enough to take out the North American grid! ;-)
      • ronnyo 3 mths ago
        Hmmm-I wonder if a million of us doing that all at once could actually accomplish that? Hmmm
      • Jerry Leigh 3 mths ago
        I shoulda thought of that. Thanx!
      • BallsofKungfucious 3 mths ago
        good one! I Like the visual!
    • Potnatz  •  San Francisco, California  •  3 mths ago
      I wonder when we are going to exploit the energy boost associated with flatulence.
      • ronnyo 3 mths ago
        Wow----that's a constant-renewable energy source- that could be harvested for hundreds-if not -thousands of years-----great idea.....
      • A Yahoo! User 3 mths ago
        Good idea. But not as good as body heat.
      • Howdy 3 mths ago
        They have Methane Electric Generators.
    • joeshmo  •  Montville, Connecticut  •  3 mths ago
      Lets see ,, Chevy volt, new fabric seat covers and Paris Hilton and a random high school football team in the back seat. I say about 500 mpg.
    • Hounddoggin  •  Canton, Georgia  •  3 mths ago
      I thought they had that for years and it was called polyester. Every time you applied any friction you would get shocked.
    • Otto Pilot  •  Spring Branch, Texas  •  3 mths ago
      So round up some fat people, slap some Power Felt around them, and crank up the TV!
    • ANTHONYM  •  Las Vegas, Nevada  •  3 mths ago
      Line the engine compartment with it and recapture as much of that heat as possible.
    • Mrs. Spud  •  Chicago, Illinois  •  3 mths ago
      Really? Well with my hot flashes (menopause) I should be able to run my entire house on electricity. Where is that material!
    • James Dogue  •  3 mths ago
      David S, you say that the body doesn't produce enough energy to make this technology worthwhile. 7 billion times 100W (700 million Megawatts) is an incredible amount of energy. And aside from that, capturing the wasted energy from the myriad of devices, engines, etc would result in staggering increases in efficiency, which, should this technology be harnessed globally, lead to a radical reduction in the amount of energy that needs to be produced in the first place.
    • Roff  •  3 mths ago
      Fiddle your legs like a cricket and you can jump start your car ... cool.
    • American son  •  Tampa, Florida  •  3 mths ago
      Well thats just great, but they cant make( or wont) a dam auto that gets 100 miles to the gallon. What a crock.
    • Mark J  •  Lansing, Michigan  •  2 mths ago
      Nothing said about what power it will be theoretically be able to generate. Since it was not mentioned you have to assume its not very high. You probably have to run three marathons wrapped in this fabric to power a cell phone for a day.
    • Jamie  •  Mobile, Alabama  •  2 mths ago
      It converts body heat into electricity?
      Great- dress Congress in this and our energy problems are solved... the hot air in them makes them great candidates.
    • Tom R  •  Phoenix, Arizona  •  2 mths ago
      I think it's a stupid idea ... which means that when it hits the market it will be B I G !
    • Johnny Pro  •  3 mths ago
      now girls wearing hot pants can really get their money's worth
    • Raiban  •  3 mths ago
      Would be great for cold weather spots to power heated socks and gloves, maybe pants and so on.
    • WAYNE  •  Cleveland, Ohio  •  3 mths ago
      this would be real useful during sex lots of activity you could wear some clothes and charge your cell phone at the same time! or your electric razor! lots of possibilities here!
    • 505  •  Los Altos, California  •  3 mths ago
      The Matrix comes to mind...........
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