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Technology

Stretchy bands generate electricity from body heat to power gadgets

By Priti Parikh

11 February 2021

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

A ring version of a thermoelectric generator

Xiao Lab

Self-healing and eco-friendly devices that generate electricity from body heat could power wearable gadgets, such as a heart monitor for runners.

Jianliang Xiao at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and his colleagues created devices based on thermoelectric generators, which convert heat into electricity. The team embedded a number of these generators in a thin film made from a flexible polymer called polyimine and wired them together with a liquid gallium-indium alloy to create stretchable bands that can be worn on arms, legs and fingers. The device costs less than $10…

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