University of Surrey sets sights on powering devices with “smart” clothing

The wearable power sources are Triboelectric Nanogenerators (TENGs), energy harvesting devices, which convert the movements of materials that produce static charge into usable electricity, which can be stored in batteries or supercapacitors.

TENGs could also be useful in developing countries, especially in remote locations where the main grid cannot reach, to power equipment such as radios, wireless communication devices, and medical equipment. Subsequently TENGs could also provide the household power requirements using large scale TENG networks.

The University of Surrey group of researchers have introduced a new model of the original TENG concept, which was originally invented by Professor Zhong Lin Wang at Georgia Tech. The researchers’ new model has improved sensors and energy generating devices which can be made into wearable applications, such as sewn into a T-shirt like a patch, or attached inside a pair of shoes.

TENGs could also be used in a sensor pad on a pavement that would light streetlamps by the energy created when stepped on by pedestrians, or placed inside a car tyre which would connect to the vehicle’s battery to create electricity.