A deterrent to long-term wearable use is having to remove devices to charge overnight. But what if the sweat you naturally produce could keep devices like smartwatches powered 24/7?
A team of engineers based out of the University of California San Diego have developed stretchable fuel cells that can extract energy from sweat and are capable of powering electronics.
The cells, which researchers say generate 10-times more power per surface area than any existing wearable biofuel cells, are currently being tested to power things such as LEDs and Bluetooth radios. But over time they could power “a range of wearable devices,” including much more power-intense ones, such as smartwatches.