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Crowdfunded 'PowerWatch' Runs on Body Heat, Never Needs Charging (engadget.com)
Engadget reports on a new watch that suggests the possibility of a future without chargers:
This thermal-powered wearable doesn't need one -- it gets energy by converting your body heat into electricity. It's been a year since I saw an early prototype of the PowerWatch -- a smart(ish) watch that tracks basic fitness metrics. Now, the self-proclaimed energy-harvesting company is finally ready to ship PowerWatches to the early adopters who backed its Indiegogo campaign...
Because its functions are pretty basic and its LCD screen is relatively low-powered, it doesn't take too much electricity to keep the watch running... The PowerWatch can not only tell the time, set alarms and timers but also track your activity and sleep... Matrix co-founder Douglas Tham said the PowerWatch will keep running for up to 12 months if you don't wear it, and a PowerSave mode kicks in to conserve energy by killing non-timekeeping functions.
Because its functions are pretty basic and its LCD screen is relatively low-powered, it doesn't take too much electricity to keep the watch running... The PowerWatch can not only tell the time, set alarms and timers but also track your activity and sleep... Matrix co-founder Douglas Tham said the PowerWatch will keep running for up to 12 months if you don't wear it, and a PowerSave mode kicks in to conserve energy by killing non-timekeeping functions.
It's also been a year since the debunking video existed
That's some nice copy and paste skills. Anonymous coward, you will fit right in with half the computer programmers out there.
what are cool guys/gals doing then with such a device?
I find it dubious that low-value heat would be more suitable for powering a watch than, say, a flexible solar cell in the watch strap.
Ezekiel 23:20
Haha, its a copy paste of the summary right there at the top, he just changed a few words, it added nothing. In fact he left out the hyperlinks so it's even less than the summary gave. But yes it was an attack at duplicate information presented as new.
When this first came out, the makers promised a fully fledged smart watch. Now this thing could easily be powered for 5-10 years with a button cell and many âoeregularâ models like it have existed for at least a decade.
Watch the thing dying on everyone after 13 months, right outside the warranty.
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A battery the size of the TEC would power it for 10 years anyway.
that you wind only every few days or so (some five on a single wind)? No batteries. Tells time. Crazy." **Rolls eyes and looks at his grandfather's "antique" watch.**
It's solar, it get NIST time, sure body heat charging would be fine, but as far as I'm concerned solar is proven.
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The biggest trouble with this seems to be the difference between what it's priced at and what it's worth. A $199 price tag on something worth, maybe $70 over the expected usage of the product (guessing at time saved estimating calories spent doing other things of potential value after 30ish years of use), is a tough sell.
Inheritance is the sincerest form of nepotism.
Since it works on temperature differences, I guess it won't work outdoors in the summer in areas where the outdoor temperature is close to body temperature . In fact, I suspect that it's only designed for temperature differences where the body is warmer, so it won't work when the outdoor temperature exceeds body temperature.
I think you forgot the air quotes around the word "truths".
And if more people didn't "know" these "truths", the world would be a better place.
What if you're dead? Does it still work?
ok. so. where is the c thru laptop ?
Not appy enough?
That's nothing, I've heard some day there will be watches which directly translate the kinetic motion of your body to charge some kind of weird battery-free energy storage device. It's all automatic and maintenance free for up to decades!
The only reason to buy a watch in 2017 is as a fashion accessory or if you're hiking/camping. And if you're doing that then why aren't you buying a wind up or if you're really well to do one of those expensive ones that 'wind' while you move?
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It got updated from c thru to c sharp, and the beta testers kept cutting themselves.
Hot chick!
The horror: Pity the millennial who had to review this, the absence of a touch-screen has traumatized her so!
The benefit of this, isn't its ability to forgo charging, it's the ability to count more than the seconds, without a conventional recharge.
https://www.watchonista.com/ar...
This talks about two watches that are powered by body heat, in the 1980s. I remember one in the ate 1980s for a digital watch powered by body heat.
Fight Spammers!
Seems to me if humans as batteries worked in The Matrix, that means it would have to work in real life. Or do I have that backwards?
- It's not cal but kcal.
- It's not calories but Joules.
- "Burned" energy is a pointless metric. What matters about exercise is the increased BMR that makes you burn energy when you're not exercising.
My dad had a "self-winding" watch (analog, obviously) that drew its energy from your motion. This was probably around 1970. I guess this new watch is the same thing, only for people who don't move around much.
Have you read my blog lately?
That's some nice copy and paste skills. Anonymous coward, you will fit right in with all the Slashdot editors out there.
IF this article is true. It's finally using science to do something positive for us. They could progress this heat energy to cell phones and more. It's very depressing and sickening to see science to track us, know what we are doing, hide extra charge on bills, and software to "look over our shoulders" to "ensure" we sweat hard every second at work, One example: You would not believe how sophisticated, they track truckers! Have respect for them and stay out of their way of their way! Today's truckers almost literally drive with a gun behind their heads. I have many other examples of negative software but I don't want to drone on.
Please, Bitcoin mining and bitcoin transactions are two very different things. Most of the bitcoins in the daily transactions using them were mined years ago and they are only mined once. They can be spent and re-spent like money at very little cost per transaction.
... we're in The Matrix.
most interesting and very relevant however, might i suggest a decimation ... actually id prefer that only 10% of the total population be left ... purely random, no selection on whats needed, just let Darwin do the rest later ... because other than farting and breathing-out tax in the long run it will be worse than cows and cars ... wether you're a cr'h'acker-on-meth or a nugger-wiv-tits ... you probably fart about the same amount and the amount of blabber coming out on both sides is a serious crime against the co police so
... give me the button and i'll push it myself
twelve monkeys for the win, indiscriminate
i still don't see the relation to the smartwatch, however i DO see how wrecking the charger industry (AND YAAAY finally a standard : the only good charger is no charger, total charger-anarchy) grants big datacorp super-access b/c you can simply not take it off, its a voluntary chip up yo (momma's)(w) ass thats what it is
Free speech was meant to be free for all... how can anyone grow up in a nanny state ?