Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Harvesting Energy from the Human Body

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the thats-nothing-compared-to-what-i-harvest-from-mine dept.

Late-Eight writes "Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology are working on a new type of nanogenerator that could draw necessary energy from flowing blood in the human body. The hope is to incorporate the new nanogenerator into biosensors, environmental monitoring devices and even personal electronics that will require no fuel source, internal or external. Once completed, this new cellular engine could find various applications, even beyond medicine."

28 of 160 comments (clear)

  1. Where is it Coming From? by Eddi3 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In the end, this isn't just harvesting unused energy; There's no such thing. It has to come from somewhere. In this case, doesn't it come from the energy the heart is exerting to pump blood? Is it possible that this could have some long term side effects, due to slightly more stress on the heart?

    1. Re:Where is it Coming From? by Eddi3 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You seem to feel very confident in saying that, However that's exactly what I'm wondering: Is is negligible? Really?

      I just think we should be sure about it first.

    2. Re:Where is it Coming From? by dido · · Score: 3, Informative

      They're talking microamperes and like 0.5 volts so that makes it about microwatts of power; one microwatt of power over the course of one day is something 0.0864 joules, or 0.021 calories, and those are normal calories, not the food calories (which are really kilocalories). Doesn't look like a whole lot, compared to the energy an average person consumes in a day (2000 kcal, that's two million calories!).

      --
      Qu'on me donne six lignes écrites de la main du plus honnête homme, j'y trouverai de quoi le faire pendre.
    3. Re:Where is it Coming From? by ookabooka · · Score: 4, Informative

      Ugh, fine. . make me RTF :-p Yes I'd call it negligible, they say that their current design can do a few nanoamps at below 0.5v but hope to get a design that can pump out a microamp at 0.5v. Lets assume they perfected their "high-power" design and look at what it does. 0.000000001A is 1 microAmp, multiply that by 0.5v and you get 0.0000000005W or 0.5 microWatts. Having this thing run for 24 hours would give us 12 microwatt-hours which according to google is 0.0103250478 calories. So if it were 1% efficient (I'd be sure its quite a bit higher) it would draw about 1 calorie a day. . .or about 1/4 of a gram of sugar.

      --
      If you are about to mod me down, keep in mind that this post was most likely sarcastic.
    4. Re:Where is it Coming From? by E++99 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      In the end, this isn't just harvesting unused energy; There's no such thing. It has to come from somewhere. In this case, doesn't it come from the energy the heart is exerting to pump blood? Is it possible that this could have some long term side effects, due to slightly more stress on the heart?

      Since it's powered by the vibrations from the pulse, the energy used would presumably otherwise by converted to heat by the mechanical dampening of the pulse by the vein walls. Since this is not a way that the body purposely generates heat, I'd argue that it qualifies as "unused energy." Worst case, it would require a minuscule amount of additional heat production from available fat or sugar stores. It doesn't seem like it would have any direct effect on the heart, as it shouldn't effect the actual flow of blood.
    5. Re:Where is it Coming From? by constantnormal · · Score: 2, Interesting

      yeah ... 12 microwatt-hrs per day is about 36 kWh per month per billion people. Compare that to your own monthly electric bill.

      Either the Matrix has much, MUCH more efficient technologies, or here is yet another fine bit of fiction that has slid down the fantasy side of the fork in the road between science fiction and fantasy.

      "Coppertop", indeed. :-(

  2. Cue the Matrix comments... by dfetter · · Score: 4, Funny

    coppertop ;)

    --
    What part of "A well regulated militia" do you not understand?
  3. Great! by jsse · · Score: 2, Interesting

    That's one step toward the Matrix, thanks a bunch!

    Tell me where you're so that I could spot you and eliminate you in order to divert myself away from the inevitable future.

  4. Awesome, if this means that... by TomatoMan · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...I can burn off the love handles by hooking them up Super Mario on my DS.

    Where do I sign?

    --
    -- http://frobnosticate.com
  5. Porn perputual motion machine by antifoidulus · · Score: 4, Funny

    think about, you have a portable video player loaded up with some porn. The user starts watching, the heart starts pumping faster allowing for more porn to be viewed. Repeat ad naseum(or until the user needs a towel)

    --
    Monstar L
  6. Likely Medical problems of this device by G4from128k · · Score: 5, Interesting

    As much as I love new medical R&D, I think this on is probably a non-starter.

    First, we'll ignore the risk of infection on the assumption that we're implanting a device anyway and its just a matter of what power source we pick for the implant. The most serious general problem would be blood clots that form on surfaces of the device. These pose a sever risk if they break-off, migrate downstream and cause heart attacks, strokes, or blockages in the lungs or extremities. Even drug-eluting stents (which are coated with anti-clotting drugs) have now been found to cause clotting after the drugs dissipate from the coating.

    Then there are the mechanical/hydraulic problems associated with impaired blood flow (the upstream blood pressure will need to be higher that the downstream pressue -- that pressure differential times the flow rate defines the amount of power extracted). If implanted in an artery this device will increase the back pressure on the heart (leading to an enlarged, inefficient heart) and impair circulation on downstream side (increasing problems with infections and function). If implanted in an vein this device will impair circulation on upstream side and probably lead to fluid build-up on the upstream side.

    Cool idea, but I doubt it's compatible with the human body.

    --
    Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
    1. Re:Likely Medical problems of this device by E++99 · · Score: 4, Informative

      According to TFA, this should not be impairing blood flow, regardless of where it is installed. It is not some sort of hydroelectric... er, vitroelectric dam, rather, if I understand correctly, it is powered by harnessing the vibrations of the pulse itself, that are otherwise just absorbed by the vein walls.

    2. Re:Likely Medical problems of this device by MMC+Monster · · Score: 2, Insightful

      People have artificial devices implanted all the time without worrying about infections and clots. Some of them are even in the circulatory system, such as permanent pacemakers, tissue artificial valves, metal artificial valves (in which you do worry about clots), and vena cava filters.

      Having something in the venous system, like a vena cava filter, may be relatively safe and still produce usable energy. Other places that are not in the circulatory system that might still be used to produce energy may be something attached to the diaphragm or other muscle and produce energy while the muscle is contracting.

      --
      Help! I'm a slashdot refugee.
  7. Desperate? by ynososiduts · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Are people that desperate to have their smartphone on at all times that they need to harvest the energy their heart generates to power it? Maybe that's a little drastic, but they mentioned personal electronics. Do people really need to have their devices charged by blood flow? I understand pacemakers or things of that nature because they keep you alive. If it isn't necessary, why POWER it with YOUR HEART? The fact that people even thought that is a little appalling.

    --
    622677120
  8. Are you confusing calories with Calories? by benhocking · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Just remember that a food calorie is actuall a kilocalorie. Assuming you made that mistake (maybe you didn't), that means you need 1/4000th of a gram of sugar. Excellent weight-loss program indeed! (OTOH, one could imagine a whole fleet of these in your system. It'd still have to be a pretty big fleet for it to matter too much.)

    --
    Ben Hocking
    Need a professional organizer?
  9. Re:Hmm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    You moms lives off of salty protein and it works fine. Slashdotters, line up at the powerplant!!

  10. Skin Contact by notanatheist · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Surely this can be done from outside the body. A couple pods taped to the right places and wired to a charger of some sort should be adequate. I used to have issues with my bicycle computer (cyclometer) when I kept in in my pocket. Typically the material in the pocket isn't that thick and the contact points on the bottom of the unit would be close to my leg. Occasionally I'd pull it out and it'd be giving me erratic reading like I was going 70mph though I wasn't on my bike. Since then I no longer keep the cyclometer in my pocket so as not to skew my averages when I'm tracking my rides.

  11. They are having a major problem though by LM741N · · Score: 3, Funny

    Sex tends to burn out the electronics.

    1. Re:They are having a major problem though by ms1234 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Thats not really a problem for slashdot readers :)

  12. A disruptive technology by ThatsNotPudding · · Score: 2, Funny

    This could kill the joke that features the punchline: "No Doc I don't want you to remove it, I just want you to change the batteries."

  13. No thanks by nsayer · · Score: 2, Insightful

    In the past, the idea of harvesting energy from living tissue has centered on chemical reactions - attempting to use the glucose in the bloodstream or what not. That's fine (so long as it can be done safely), because the systems that regulate glucose availability probably have the overhead capacity to spare (at least by comparison). But when you talk about tapping the bloodstream's KE, I start to get nervous, because then you're talking about the heart. That's where the energy you're tapping is going to come from. When your heart wears out, you're more or less done. I'm already doing enough bad things to my heart (vis diet and exercise) - I don't want to make it work any harder.

    1. Re:No thanks by SkyFalling · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If you're not getting enough exercise, making your heart work harder is *exactly* what you should be doing. The heart is a muscle, and it gets stronger the more you use it. Consider making an analogous statement about skeletal muscles such as those in your arms, and see how ridiculous it sounds.

  14. Heart implants by Edgester · · Score: 2, Interesting

    To bad this won't power heart implants or artificial hearts.

  15. A better way by iminplaya · · Score: 2, Funny

    Just capture all the methane coming out of the exhaust pipe.

    --
    What?
  16. Re:Harvesting Energy by Saurian_Overlord · · Score: 2, Informative

    Not exactly. Kinetic = motion. If you'll read the Wikipedia entry you linked to, it explains it quite simply. You could put a kinetic watch on a frequently-used doorknob and it would work just as well.

  17. The newest hacks... by Ub3rT3Rr0R1St · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hackaday's newest I-pod hacks:

    DIY: USB adapter you can hook up to your spinal cord to charge up your I-pod!

  18. Re:Next step - feeding on human blood ... by Walt+Dismal · · Score: 4, Funny

    Here at the Transylvania Institute of Technology we have ... pioneered new ways of ... extracting ... energy from .. blood. The blood ... is the life. We have few nuclear electric energy generating plants, but many .. peasants. Although .. fewer than before. Pardon me, I must go now, and ... sleep. Visit me at the university. My office hours are 9PM to 5AM. Welcome. Bring beautiful girls.

  19. Weight watchers, plug-in style. by Valdez · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Harnessing mechanical energy is fine, but the real breakthrough is going to happen when a "filter" system can be placed inline with major arteries... which actually pulls chemicals out of the blood and uses them to power a fuel cell/charge a battery/whatever. Imagine burning 1000 calories an hour just by cranking the knob up. Weight loss with the added benefit of producing power usfeul for mobile devices.

    You may not need the system to be wired up in series... which could cause some problems if it fails or clogs. It would probably be best to replace sections of artery with an artificial tube, which has a specifically designed membrane wall allowing the glucose and whatever else you need to permeate through to the fuel cell/reactor side.

    The dream of a "built in" personal computer connected directly to your brain is going to require such a power source...

    Plus, imagine personal mobile computing then... forget USB charging, plug your Ipod into your spleen!