Loading...

Articles.

Enjoy your read!

Latest developments in energy production and distribution in everyday life

Though there have been astonishing developments in technologies used for personal devices and smart wearables, there is yet an issue that researchers from around the world are tirelessly working to resolve. Amidst the developments in other features, the means of charging a device has yet to be reformed. It is as the researchers have described, “True wireless charging means more personal freedom.” Although the introduction of wireless charging has surged the trend, it still does not allow the user to move freely and isn't an efficient way of distributing energy. As smartwatches are increasingly able to monitor the vital signs of health including the sleep patterns of a person, it proves to be quite useful but a problem that emerged in it was that the device often needs to be charged overnight. To tackle this issue researchers such as Sunghoon Ivan Lee, assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts developed technology that uses human tissue as a transfer medium for power without posing health risks by coming in contact with power contact during simple daily tasks such as typing on a laptop keyboard or steering a car, though the energy produced by this method is not sufficient to power large devices such as Apple watches, it is more than enough for Fitbit. Another researcher who tried to solve this issue was Joseph Wang, a professor at the University of California San Diego who sought out to develop a technology that harvests power from sweaty fingertips while we sleep without any mechanical energy input. As fingertips have the most concentration of sweat glands, lactate, a compound that is dissolved in sweat, is used to power a kind of biofuel cell that can produce sufficient energy to power a wearable device. Though the means of producing energy are in plenty, its efficient distribution is still an issue. For this Prasad Jayathurrathnage, a researcher at Aalto University is currently developing a free-position wireless charging that unchains devices from a set charging point using a self-tuning transmitter that doesn't need any complex electronics to be embedded in the devices and allows the user to move about freely in a wide charging range. Furthermore, Alson Sample, a professor at the University of Michigan, is developing a ‘Charging Room’ system that can power lights, phones, Laptops without wires, potentially turning entire buildings into wireless charging zones. The system is a major improvement over other attempts at wireless charging which used harmful microwave radiation or required the device to be placed on separate charging pads. The system uses a conductive surface on room walls and a conductive pole to generate a magnetic field which is harnessed by devices through wire coils. This is made possible by building a resonant structure that delivers a magnetic field while confining the harmful electric field that can heat biological tissue. With such Great strides by researchers, it will not be too long to witness the beginning of a futuristic era.

Tagged in : energy production, Wireless charging, efficient distribution,