Citizens of many third-world countries suffer from problems we know nothing about: starvation, homelessness, death, and oftentimes, no electricity. Many of these problems are on-going and the solution does not seem to be achievable within a human lifetime.
However, the solution may be closer than we think with this new development. Scientists in Switzerland developed an organic material, which can literally turn stress into electricity. The group of scientists from Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, developed this rubbery material based on the piezoelectric effect, which is an idea that explores how movement can spawn electricity. Thanks to this research, the material is able to function, generating electricity through its movement.
Scientists hope to affect every area of life with this new development, especially in medical technologies, robotics, clothing, and especially human life.
This material is already in the works to power pacemakers. It will allow the pacemaker to power itself, avoiding a complicated surgery to change the batteries every couple of years. Scientists hope to eventually implant the material near the human heart, to convert the energy of a heartbeat into electricity.
Another theory for this material is that scientists will be able to gather stress and agitation from people and use it to provide electricity for a community. It’s not a far stretch, if you think about it.
We’re all stressed out, so here are some more solutions: 4 Causes of Stress and How to Tackle Them.
Image via
