Power Clothing: New Gadget Energy Source?

Gadgets that use physical movement as an energy source is one of the more popular research areas today. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are developing clothing that can generate electric power using fiber-based nano technology. The electricity is generated by the friction between the shirt or jacket layers. This gadget is targeted at more active professionals - soldiers in the field or hikers in the wilderness. If the energy could be gathered in a small battery, several gadgets could be charged or powered by physical movement.

Zhong Zin Wang is a Regents professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering. He describes the gadget. “The fiber-based nano generator would be a simple and economical way to harvest energy from physical movement. If we can combine many of these fibers in double or triple layers in clothing, we could provide a flexible, foldable and wearable power source that, for example, would allow people to generate their own electrical current while walking.”

Dr. Wang’s Power Shirt is based on his 2007 research with the nanowire nanogenerator. The nanogenerators produce up to 20 millivolts and 800 nanoamperes. The Power Shirt is made from soft materials. It captures low-frequency mechanical energy. Kevlar fibers are combined with zinc oxide nanowires. Wang’s researchers use gold as an electrode. The precious metal also “deflects the nanowire tips.” After much further research, Dr. Wang’s team believes that one cubic meter of this power fabric can generate up to 80 milliwatts of power.

The Power Shirt has a long way to go before it will be released to the public. Developing a way to clean the shirt is the researcher’s next goal. Zinc oxide does not do well when subjected to water. Your power clothing might be marked ‘dry clean only.’ Funding for the Power Shirt research is provided by U.S. Department of Energy, the Emory-Georgia Tech Nanotechnology Center for Personalized and Predictive Oncology and the U.S. National Science Foundation. Dr. Wang’s research will revolutionize the clothing industry and provide an excellent alternative energy source for active people. Imagine wearing a shirt of this material which powers your MP3 player during your jog. It is definitely a win-win solution.

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