There have been quite a few exploit to rein in citizenry power , by putting particularly plan energy harvesters inexercise machines , yo - yos , or rightinside your shoes . But none of them have been quite as thin or just downright nerveless as a raw machine that uses a paper - thin electrode packed with computer virus to turn mechanical energy into electricity .
The fresh electrode is a piezoelectric cloth : it converts of mechanically skillful stress into an accumulation of charge , which can drive electrical energy . Piezoelectricity is pretty well known — it was get word in 1880 and is used in devices like electric cigarette lighters and guitar pickup — but the materials used in these devices are toxic and hard to operate with . So a few Berkeley National Laboratory and UC Berkeley research worker countersink out to find a better alternative . Viruses seemed promising because they naturally self - organize , a valuable property when conduct with nanoscale fabric that you ca n’t exactly sort by bridge player .
The researchers get going work with a computer virus called M13 , which attacks only bacteria and is harmless to humans ( a “ macrophage ” ) and neatly sorts itself into layers , like match in a matchbox . After determining that M13 is naturally passably piezoelectric , they boost that dimension by genetically tweaking it , and then stacked it up into layer 20 virus heavyset . When sandwich between two rag of atomic number 79 about one square centimeter ( schematic of the machine figure above ) , the researchescould beg on the electrode and bring about 400 mV , which is n’t too unfit considering how fragile it is .
The electrode is far from being quick for commercial waiver , but as a good , easy - to - make piezoelectric equipment that already works well , it shows a muckle of hope . In the time to come , any surface you press on could end up power your ubiquitous gadgets . I would truly be in a state of technological seventh heaven if my typing could power the very calculator I was typing on .
Image : Seung - Wuk Lee & Ramamoorthy Ramesh / UC Berkeley
BiologyScienceViruses
Daily Newsletter
Get the best technical school , skill , and culture word in your inbox day by day .
News from the futurity , give up to your present .
You May Also Like
