How Often Do Human Skin Cells Divide Why Might That Be

Could y'all employ the human trunk to power tech like in "The Matrix"? While plugging in millions of individuals to act as "human batteries" is a little drastic, there are some less unethical means to harvest electricity from the human body.

Here we explore 5 interesting examples of tech that already be or are in development for but this purpose.

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How much electricity does the human torso produce?

The human body is an incredible piece of biology. It can do many impressive things, including producing modest amounts of electricity.

According to sites like extremetech.com, the human body creates a surprising amount of it, fifty-fifty at residue.

"The average man, at rest, produces effectually 100 watts of power. This equates to effectually 2000 kcal of food energy, which is why your recommended daily intake of calories is effectually 2000 kcal."

Does the human torso emit electricity?

You lot may, or may not, be surprised to notice out that yeah, indeed, the human body does emit electricity. In fact, well-nigh living animals practice, to some extent.

The human body has various bodily functions that rely on the flow of charged ions like the muscles of your torso and heart. However, one of the organs that has a lot of electric activity in your brain.

This vital organ has somewhere in the region of a hundred billion electrically conductive biological wires, aka neurons.

How many BTU does a human give off?

For anyone who is a fan of "The Matrix", y'all'll probably accept memorized that the figure is around 25,000 BTU. This sounds like a lot, and in fact, it is a little exaggerated.

The truthful effigy, according to sites like filmschoolrejects.com, is somewhere in the order of 250 to 400 BTU.

"Morpheus says that thehuman torso generates 25,000 BTUs, which equally a unit of power is approximately ten horsepower or nigh vii.3 kilowatts. In reality, the human body produces between 250 and 400 BTUs of ability, depending on its state of consciousness. In other words, when the trunk is comatose, it produces less." - filmschoolrejects.com.

What are some examples of tech that uses the human body equally a power source?

So, without further ado, here are five interesting pieces of tech that accept been developed, or are in development, that utilise the homo torso to generate electricity. This list is far from exhaustive and is in no particular order.

1. This team of researchers is harvesting energy from body heat

humans as a power source heat — Source:*The Electronics and Telecommunication Research Institute (ETRI)*

A South Korean squad of researchers is looking at ways to apply human torso heat to generate ability. The team atThe Electronics and Telecommunications Inquiry Institute (ETRI) Southward Koreahopes this could be revolutionary for clothing technologies.

They have created a lightweight, flexible thermoelectric generator that uses the temperature difference between a human and the surrounding air to generate electricity. The module is 5 cm in width and xi cm in length and could be used every bit a form of a generator for another wear tech in the future.

"When a patch-like structure is fastened upon the thermoelectric device, a temperature deviation occurs betwixt the skin and the construction, imitating the sweat glands construction. This core technology is called "biomimetic rut sink." It increases the output of the thermoelectric module by 5 times that of conventional products, maximizing the energy efficiency." - Eureka Alert.

Initial tests of the device were able to generate 35 microwatts per square centimeter. This is around i.5 times higher than other researchers working on similar tech in the U.S.

2. Yous tin actually generate power from human sweat

humans as a power source sweat — Source:*Jacobs School of Engineering*

Researchers at the Jacobs School of Applied science, The University of California, San Diego are working on a fashion of using man sweat to generate electricity. They take created a small temporary tattoo that incorporates enzymes that produce an electrical electric current from man sweat.

These enzymes strip electrons (oxidize) from lactate in sweat to produce small amounts of electricity whenever the wearer sweats (like during do). They produce enough electricity to power small electronics like LEDs and even Bluetooth radios.

"The biofuel cells generate 10 times more than power per surface area than any existing wearable biofuel cells. The devices could be used to power a range of wearable devices.

The epidermal biofuel cells are a major quantum in the field which has been struggling with making the devices that are stretchable enough and powerful enough. Engineers from the University of California San Diego were able to achieve this breakthrough thanks to a combination of clever chemistry, advanced materials, and electronic interfaces. This immune them to build a stretchable electronic foundation by using lithography and past using screen-printing to brand 3D carbon nanotube-based cathode and anode arrays." - Jacobs School of Engineering.

3. This tech uses humans equally biofuel cells

Back in 2011, a team of researchers at the Joseph Fourier University of Grenoble created an implantable piece of tech that can generate electricity from the human body. The biofuel cells draw power from substances that are freely bachelor in the human body -- glucose and oxygen.

Each cell consists of two special electrodes that perform split up functions. The first oxidizes (strips electrons from) glucose. The other donates electrons (reduces) to molecules of oxygen and hydrogen.

When both electrodes are continued in a circuit, they produce a flow of electrons from one electrode to the other. This generates a handy electrical electric current that could exist tapped to power wearable or other implanted tech (like pacemakers).

"Dr. Serge Cosnier and his team are the first ones who have been able to testify this concept past implanting a epitome cell into a living beingness and having it role. In 2010, an early model of the biocell was implanted in a lab rat where information technology stayed for 40 days, producing electricity all the while and having no visible side-issue on the rat'southward health or beliefs, a pretty promising success." - The Mary Sue.

4. This group of researchers has harvested electricity from the inner ear

A squad of researchers in Massachusetts produced a device back in 2012 that can harvest power from your inner ear.

The ears of mammals contain tiny electric voltages called the endocochlear potential (EP). Establish inside the cochlea, EP helps convert pressure waves into electrical impulses to transport to the brain.

Information technology is a very tiny electric potential at around one-tenth of a volt, merely this is still strong enough to power, theoretically, hearing aids and other audible implants.

Long thought unthinkable before the squad created an "energy harvesting fleck" the size of a thumbnail that tin extract some of this electrical energy directly.

"They tested the bit in a guinea pig, implanting it into the beast's inner ear where it generated enough electricity to power a radio transmitter. The minute electrical power produced by the chip—near a nanowatt (a billionth of a watt)—is still about a million times too low to power an electronic implant." - Info Squad/YouTube.

5. This device generates electricity equally yous motion

Converting human kinetic movement into energy is nothing new, merely the nPowerPEG is a very innovative ane. Developed nigh a decade ago, it is a handheld tube-shaped device that clips onto a belt or backpack and generates electricity as the wearer moves around.

It incorporates a magnet weight, spring, and induction whorl that all piece of work in harmony to generate power. The device cannot produce enough electricity to ability laptops or tablets, only it could have bang-up potential in the future for powering another wear tech or smaller electronics — like mobile phones.