Mechanical pressure to electricity breakthrough
PrintA co-operative team from RMIT University and the Australian National University (ANU) have developed a method that will allow mechanical pressure into electricity.
Dr Simon Ruffell from the ANU Research School of Physics and Engineering and Dr Madhu Bhaskaran and Dr Sharath Sriram from RMIT University have used nanotechnology to convert mechanical pressure into electricity.
The breakthrough was made by combining piezoelectrics, materials capable of turning pressure into electricity, with thin film technology, the basis of microchip manufacturing.
The use of piezoelectrics means that portable devices with touch screens like iPads and iPhones could be recharged through everyday activities like typing. It also means that in future pacemakers could be powered by an individual wearer’s blood pressure.