TechSmartwatchesFuture Apple Watch models could ditch the battery and get power from a surprising sourceThe future of wearable batteries could be no battery at allWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
TechSmartwatchesFuture Apple Watch models could ditch the battery and get power from a surprising sourceThe future of wearable batteries could be no battery at allWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
The future of wearable batteries could be no battery at all
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
Quick SummaryUS researchers have successfully used Power-over-Skin technology to power small wearable devices.Instead of a battery they receive energy transmitted via your skin, so could be transformative for future smartwatches – like the Apple Watch.
US researchers have successfully used Power-over-Skin technology to power small wearable devices.Instead of a battery they receive energy transmitted via your skin, so could be transformative for future smartwatches – like the Apple Watch.
US researchers have successfully used Power-over-Skin technology to power small wearable devices.Instead of a battery they receive energy transmitted via your skin, so could be transformative for future smartwatches – like the Apple Watch.
US researchers have successfully used Power-over-Skin technology to power small wearable devices.
Instead of a battery they receive energy transmitted via your skin, so could be transformative for future smartwatches – like the Apple Watch.
The big challenge with wearable devices is how to power them. While battery technology in the likes of theApple WatchandAirPodshas improved enormously in recent years, it’s still something of an Achilles heel for our devices.
Called Power-over-Skin, the tech, as you’ve no doubt gathered from the name, uses your skin as a crucial component in the device ecosystem. Instead of having batteries in individual wearables, you have one single power source that uses your skin as a giant wireless power pack.
Will your skin power up your AirPods or Apple Watch?
It’s based on the discovery that human skin is an effective transmitter of energy at 40MHz, and so far the researchers have used it with an LED earring, a calculator, and a Bluetooth ring.
We’re not talking huge amounts of energy here – microwatts rather than watts – so you can forget about charging a MacBook Pro with skin power unless you fancy plugging yourself into the mains. The transmission power also drops dramatically with distance, so the source would have to be fairly close to the device(s) being powered.
Although it doesn’t require direct skin-to-skin contact for the transmitter, so you could keep that in your pocket or, if small enough, hanging around your neck.
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It’ll be a while before we see skin-poweredAirPods, if at all. But, in the shorter term the tech has some interesting applications for smart health monitoring.
For example, the researchers describe a skin-powered health patch that could potentially stay on its wearer forever. And, if it could be included in asmart ring, that could seriously reduce the need for a thick casing, one of the visible drawbacks of devices such as theSamsung Galaxy Ring.
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