Whenever we talk about technology, we emphasize a lot on its unprecedented nature. It’s just our way of acknowledging the uniqueness that is such an integral part of this equation. However, we have reached a point where we almost expect to see these sorts of things far more frequently than we ever did. The said expectation is largely fuelled by our knowledge of what kind of tools we have at our disposal, and even if we have to describe them in the most conservative of manners, we won’t be able to ignore their transformative attributes. Furthermore, we are not just encouraged purely by their potential, but their track record of success speaks for itself as well. In case there was any doubt about the feasibility of them, it’s well and truly gone now. This has only further widened the channel of possibilities for us, setting a perfect stage for that next chapter of the tech era. Now, to understand how the new era will shape up, we only have to look at some of the creations that we are getting lately. While the new shepherds of technology are popping up extensively across the board, they take a greater significance in a field like healthcare. Our perception of modern healthcare is the direct by-product of what all technology has done around the block in question. The new and more refined methodologies are constantly vying for providing answers to each and every medical complication you can possibly conjure up. Nevertheless, the latest development done by University of California taps into something that takes these efforts to an entirely different level.
A team of scientists at the University of California has successfully produced a magnetoelastic device, which essentially does the work of generating electricity from your body movements. As of now, the device is viewed as a suitable medium for powering medical wearables and implantable sensors. Apart from that, it is said to have the capabilities for functioning exclusively as a water proof heart rate monitor. Touted as the future of healthcare, wearable and implantable technologies have already achieved a fair amount of recognition, but they still haven’t been able crack the code of dealing with issues like finding a sustainable power source, and protecting the device from our bodily fluids. In such a scenario, the discovery made by UCLA has a chance to do wonders with its waterproof and self-charging features.
When asked about his views on the device, one of the involved researchers, Jun Chen said:
“What makes this technology unique is that it allows people to stretch and move with comfort when the device is pressed against human skin, and because it relies on magnetism rather than electricity, humidity and our own sweat do not compromise its effectiveness.”
The all-important magnetoelastic effect is triggered when small magnets within the material move closer and farther away from each other as a result of some movement, thus altering the strength of magnetic field and generating electricity. It must be noted that you don’t have to go for big swings of movement in order to generate the electricity. Small motions like pulsating blood vessel around your wrist area are enough to the job. According to the shared details, researching team has experimented with soaking the device in artificial sweat, and no such damaging effects were observed.
