A breakthrough nanogenerator from the University of Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute could soon power your wearable devices using your morning run. The innovation provides a massive 140-fold increase in power density compared with conventional nanogenerators and sets up highly efficient energy harvesting from everyday movements.

Highly Efficient Energy Harvesting
The new nanogenerator converts small mechanical energy, for instance, motion while walking or running, into much bulk electrical power. For example, if a regular nanogenerator produces 10 milliwatts of power, this advanced device could push the output to more than 1,000 milliwatts—dramatically changing energy harvesting in everyday applications.

Technology Advances
This triboelectric nanogenerator is based on the charge regeneration effect. It employs materials that become electrically charged upon contact and separation—similar to the static electricity formed when one rubs a balloon on hair. Efficiency has now been improved through tuning with 34 small energy collectors utilizing a readily mass-producible laser technique.

Future Implications
The potentials that lie in this technology are enormous. Indeed, self-powered sensors from smart home systems, which will never require battery replacement, might one day be equivalent in power to solar panels. The University of Surrey is also set to launch a company that will focus on the development of self-powered, non-invasive healthcare sensors using this triboelectric technology.

Sustainable Energy Solutions
The pace at which the number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices across the world is predicted to top 50 billion in the coming years means critical local green energy solutions such as this nanogenerator. This technology can possibly change the perception of small electronic device power and source it from sustainable and available sources in everyday mechanical movement.

The developed motion-powered nanogenerator is the first step towards integrative and sustainable solutions of global energy challenges to independent wireless operation of smart systems for healthcare or home security.