Researchers Propose Energy Generation From Typing

Researchers down under are proposing to reuse an old technology in an innovative way, by utilising keystrokes in order to generate power to aid battery life.

The concept is based on piezoelectric films, a material commonly found in old-style microphones etc. Essentially piezoelectric materials generate electricity when subjected to pressure.

However Australian researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology have become the first to accurately  measure the energy generated by thin pizoelectric films.

Extending Battery Life

The pioneering result has been published in the leading materials science journal, Advanced Functional Materials.

The researchers believe these piezoelectric films could be incorporated into laptops or even smartphones (underneath the keyboard/keypad), or even utilised in running shoes, in order to dramatically extend the existing battery life of mobile devices.

Another possible use is in pacemakers, where blood pressure is used to help power the device.

“The power of piezoelectrics could be integrated into running shoes to charge mobile phones, enable laptops to be powered through typing or even used to convert blood pressure into a power source for pacemakers – essentially creating an everlasting battery,” lead co-author Dr Madhu Bhaskaran said.

“The concept of energy harvesting using piezoelectric nanomaterials has been demonstrated but the realisation of these structures can be complex and they are poorly suited to mass fabrication,” she added. “Our study focused on thin film coatings because we believe they hold the only practical possibility of integrating piezoelectrics into existing electronic technology.”

In Three Years?

Dr Madhu Bhaskaran was interviewed by ABC News in Australia, and her explanation of the technology can be found in this YouTube video.

She said this technology could be easily integrated into new devices and appear in three years time.

‘Currently the energy level we’re able to generate is around ten times less than what’s required, so that’s the next step, to amplify it by ten times, so we can produce an everlasting battery or replace existing batteries. If we can amplify the power, which we think will take three years, it should be fairly quick to commercialise it,” she said.

The search for ways to power devices in a renewable way that does not rely on carbon emissions is gathering pace. Google for example continues to invest heavily in both solar and wind power generation.

And even mobile phone operator Orange recently unveiled a T-shirt that utilises sound waves in order to charge a mobile phone. Last year it revealed its so-called “Orange Power Wellies” that used a “power-generating sole” to convert heat from your feet into an electrical current.

Meanwhile Nokia offers a Bicycle Charger Kit, which allows users to charge their handsets using pedal power. The unit consisted of a charger and dynamo, as well as a holder to secure the phone to the user’s bike.