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No page found for '/Michigan%20State%20University%20engineering%20researchers%20have%20created%20a%20new%20way%20to%20harvest%20energy%20from%20human%20motion,%20using%20a%20film-like%20device%20that%20actually%20can%20be%20folded%20to%20create%20more%20power.%20With%20the%20low-cost%20device,%20known%20as%20a%20nanogenerator,%20the%20scientists%20successfully%20operated%20an%20LCD%20touch%20screen,%20a%20bank%20of%2020%20LED%20lights%20and%20a%20flexible%20keyboard,%20all%20with%20a%20simple%20touching%20or%20pressing%20motion%20and%20without%20the%20aid%20of%20a%20battery%20(click%20the%20respective%20links%20to%20see%20a%20short%20video%20of%20each%20demonstration).%20%20The%20groundbreaking%20findings,%20published%20in%20the%20journal%20Nano%20Energy,%20suggest%20%E2%80%9Cwe%E2%80%99re%20on%20the%20path%20toward%20wearable%20devices%20powered%20by%20human%20motion,%E2%80%9D%20said%20Nelson%20Sepulveda,%20associate%20professor%20of%20electrical%20and%20computer%20engineering%20and%20lead%20investigator%20of%20the%20project.%20%20%E2%80%9CWhat%20I%20foresee,%20relatively%20soon,%20is%20the%20capability%20of%20not%20having%20to%20charge%20your%20cell%20phone%20for%20an%20entire%20week,%20for%20example,%20because%20that%20energy%20will%20be%20produced%20by%20your%20movement,%E2%80%9D%20said%20Sepulveda,%20whose%20research%20is%20funded%20by%20the%20National%20Science%20Foundation.%20%20The%20innovative%20process%20starts%20with%20a%20silicone%20wafer,%20which%20is%20then%20fabricated%20with%20several%20layers,%20or%20thin%20sheets,%20of%20environmentally%20friendly%20substances%20including%20silver,%20polyimide%20and%20polypropylene%20ferroelectret.%20Ions%20are%20added%20so%20that%20each%20layer%20in%20the%20device%20contains%20charged%20particles.%20Electrical%20energy%20is%20created%20when%20the%20device%20is%20compressed%20by%20human%20motion,%20or%20mechanical%20energy.%20%20The%20completed%20device%20is%20called%20a%20biocompatible%20ferroelectret%20nanogenerator,%20or%20FENG.%20The%20device%20is%20as%20thin%20as%20a%20sheet%20of%20paper%20and%20can%20be%20adapted%20to%20many%20applications%20and%20sizes.%20The%20device%20used%20to%20power%20the%20LED%20lights%20was%20palm-sized,%20for%20example,%20while%20the%20device%20used%20to%20power%20the%20touch%20screen%20was%20as%20small%20as%20a%20finger.%20%20Advantages%20such%20as%20being%20lightweight,%20flexible,%20biocompatible,%20scalable,%20low-cost%20and%20robust%20could%20make%20FENG%20%E2%80%9Ca%20promising%20and%20alternative%20method%20in%20the%20field%20of%20mechanical-energy%20harvesting%E2%80%9D%20for%20many%20autonomous%20electronics%20such%20as%20wireless%20headsets,%20cell%20phones%20and%20other%20touch-screen%20devices,%20the%20study%20says.%20%20Remarkably,%20the%20device%20also%20becomes%20more%20powerful%20when%20folded.%20%20%E2%80%9CEach%20time%20you%20fold%20it%20you%20are%20increasing%20exponentially%20the%20amount%20of%20voltage%20you%20are%20creating,%E2%80%9D%20Sepulveda%20said.%20%E2%80%9CYou%20can%20start%20with%20a%20large%20device,%20but%20when%20you%20fold%20it%20once,%20and%20again,%20and%20again,%20it%E2%80%99s%20now%20much%20smaller%20and%20has%20more%20energy.%20Now%20it%20may%20be%20small%20enough%20to%20put%20in%20a%20specially%20made%20heel%20of%20your%20shoe%20so%20it%20creates%20power%20each%20time%20your%20heel%20strikes%20the%20ground.%E2%80%9D%20%20Sepulveda%20and%20his%20team%20are%20developing%20technology%20that%20would%20transmit%20the%20power%20generated%20from%20the%20heel%20strike%20to,%20say,%20a%20wireless%20headset.%20%20Contributors%20to%20the%20study%20included%20MSU%20doctoral%20students%20Wei%20Li,%20David%20Torres%20and%20Tongyu%20Wang,%20as%20well%20as%20Chuan%20Wang,%20assistant%20professor%20of%20electrical%20and%20computer%20engineering.'