The uniqueness of technological progress is that we as humans will always find new ways to advance and simplify our daily lives. Smart devices and wearables are now seen as objects that have become a habit in our lives, and until now, not much can be done to improve their usage patterns.
I say until now because recently, a group of researchers from the Future Interfaces Group and Carnegie Mellon University, including Andy Kong, Daehwa Kim and Chris Harrison have found a way for wearable devices such as watches, rings, or even smart earrings to operate without batteries.
This latest technology is called Power-over-Skin which allows electronic devices that are in contact with the skin to absorb radio frequency energy from the body to power the devices.
This research also found that there are some parts of the body that will emit a higher amount of RF energy at a frequency of 40 MHz than usual, and these are such as the head and wrists, where most of these electronic accessories are worn.
Among the examples of devices given that can be powered by power-over-skin include rings, earrings, watches, calculators and even smart devices. More interestingly, in some scenarios, these devices can get electrical power generated through the body and penetrate thin clothing.
The concept of using RF energy to power electronic devices is not new. However, the research to use that energy, especially that generated by the body can be said to be new, and if successfully developed, it seems that it can also power larger devices such as virtual reality sets, smart glasses and so on that no longer require built-in battery power. .
Perhaps for now, among the things that need to be resolved is to determine if the concept of powering electronic equipment using the energy generated by the human body will cause any harm or not. If successful, it could potentially reduce reliance on the use of rare earths to power small electronic devices.