APPLICATIONS
The key applications are within the portable electronic devices sector to include remote controllers, medical & health monitors and other presently battery operated hand-held and wearable electronic devices.
The technology can also be integrated into the Internet of Things where replacing batteries may be challenging or hazardous.
Consumer Electronics
Harnessing power generated by the heat of the users body, the technology can be adapted to integrate into existing devices such as TV remote controls, key-fob transmitters and other handheld devices such as the pocket calculator to provide instantaneous power from the users hand.
The technology is in good stead for the growing wearable consumer electronics market to include fitness trackers and person location trackers. While worn on the wrist, the device would be continuously powered.
Wearable devices could be used to track people in hazardous places such as mines or trapped during the aftermath of an earthquake or tsunami. Alzheimer's patients could be tracked indefinitely without the need to regularly change the batteries.
The Internet of Things
The technology can be adapted for wireless sensor networks for autonomous data capture and transmission.
The technology can be used to harness energy capture from various sources such as heat, solar, and movement.
Due to the very low operating voltage (a few millivolts ) and high overall power outputs of several times that of existing systems of the same given energy source and feature size, trace amounts of energy can be harnessed such as small vibrations, low light and ambient heat where previously boiling water temperatures were required for the energy harvesting system to operate.
Medical Electronics
Health monitors can be worn by the patient to monitor their vitals continuously, harnessing power generated by the heat of the users body
For example, an ECG monitoring system could be integrated within the actual electrodes. The data is then collected and sent wirelessly to the doctors computer.
Depending on the amount of data, the frequency of data collection and the distance to the receiver, a capacitor of the required capacitance and voltage is selected to allow the data to by transmitted in pulsed intervals..
Here the device could be continuously powered by the users body heat or from back up from a super-capacitor when the user is not in contact with the device.
