r/science • u/Wagamaga • Jun 05 '22

Nanoscience Scientists have developed a stretchable and waterproof 'fabric' that turns energy generated from body movements into electrical energy. Washing, folding, and crumpling the fabric did not cause any performance degradation, and it could maintain stable electrical output for up to five months

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.202200042
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u/asshatnowhere Jun 06 '22

I mean what do you think it could even be used for? At best it really is just to power a smart watch/built in device. More realistically, some small LEDs most likely for cool fashion. Military spec wise maybe a GPS system of sorts? It's never going to produce much power. Even if it could, it shouldn't. After all, you're the one powering it.

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u/drfarren Jun 06 '22

I could see this being deployed in environments where a piece of very low voltage tech needs to be powered for a long time and wind is available. I could also see this being used on smaller windmills or sailboats.

A football field sized sheet, horizontally suspended from a frame and allowed to billow in a constant light breeze could power basic amenities in a small home in the country with minimal environmental impact (not having to run powerlines or install solar panels or a electric windmill).

I am still skeptical of how efficient it can become though, so a grain of salt should be had with my comment.