This micro energy cell turns the human body into a battery that recharges when we eat.

Oscar Almarza

The battery is one of the technologies received more investment in recent years. The development of digital technologies has caused the elements Hardware Requires power in addition to being plugged into an outlet. In addition, there are electric vehicles that are growing exponentially in the market due to the many advantages of this technology over internal combustion engine options.

The accumulation of electrical energy is fundamental to understanding the future of mankind, and for this reason, there are currently thousands of programs with millions of investments. What if the solution was in our own body? Researchers have succeeded in creating a microcell that let the body serve as a battery. In addition, and this would already be incredible, this element could be loaded automatically, be a pivot in the future.

Investigations are still under development, but this milestone may have future implications for future research. The project was carried out by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and aims to set new milestones in order to create future practical applications in terms of batteries. Will a person be able to use his properties to be a kind of battery?

So let’s see what are the keys to understanding this curious technology, why is it a differential solution in terms of sustainability and, of course, to what extent this type of innovation can have a commercial path in the coming years. Here are some of the keys that have received the most attention from what has been achieved so far.

A microcell that allows a person to use their body as a battery

According to the study, glucose is the key and driver of this newly developed technology. MIT has partnered with the Technical University of Munich to create a type of glucose-based fuel cell that directly converts glucose into electricity. A key factor in understanding the success achieved is take into account the size of the cavity. To get a comparative idea, it will be equal to one hundredth of the diameter of a human hair. Thus, this is a key element to consider for potential applications.

These cells allowed generate up to 43 microwatts per square centimeter of electricity, a milestone in terms of energy density. Never before has such a volume of these characteristics been achieved, which determines the extent to which we are faced with differentiated technology in terms of performance. This, done on a scale, would allow one to enjoy a large supply of energy inside the human body.

Similarly, we were faced with a solution capable of overcoming extreme environmental conditions. In fact, this new technology could work optimally with outdoor temperature up to 600 degrees Celsius. It is an alternative that also includes traditional materials such as ceramics, which are resistant to these kinds of circumstances of various kinds. So, what will be the intentions of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology?

This group of studies does not aim to enable us to connect to our skin with this technology. smartphone to charge it, of course not! The key to this innovation will focus on much more interesting option in terms of health. The mid-term goal may be to provide this solution as a charging element for medical devices that have been installed in the human body.

Various implants prepared to become the benchmark of performance

Complex technologies such as pacemakers could be subject to important innovations if these types of solutions were commercially successful. After all, many of these solutions that are added to the human body for develop a variety of functions have batteries which occupy most of its structure. Having these glucose fuel cell systems would allow these devices to be much smaller in design.

After all, glucose is part of our body and, with the exception of certain cases, it is also in our daily diet. This innovation will allow the development of a new potential range of clinical related products, as batteries larger than those currently in use will not be required.

It is expected that in the coming weeks research continues to reach a new stage objective results of the project. The range is open to creating practical applications for this kind of glucose fuel cells. Who would have thought that we could have such an electrical factory inside the body?