Future iPods could be powered by the human heartbeat

Yes, you read that right. The Telegraph yesterday ran an interesting piece that caught my attention. The basis for their story is a breakthrough development calling for a chip that can generate power from microscopic body movement such as the human heartbeat or the pinch of a finger. The new chip is “thousands times more powerful” than a previous prototype and it’s based on nanogenerators.

Scientists say it’s likely this tech will at some point enable gadgets that don’t require batteries because they will generate power from our body movement. It’s not sci-fi, mind you, they already have working prototypes:

The team, presenting their findings at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, have used it to power LCD displays and diodes, as well as to transmit a radio signal once its generated power has been stored.

Imagine what this could mean for the design of iOS gadgets we have on ourselves. Read on…

Apple could combine this tech with breakthrough solar panels to develop iPods and iPhones that soak up rays and use our body movements to generate power.

And without batteries, future devices could weigh far less and be much slimmer  than today’s gadgets.

Any technology that can lead to battery-less iPods and iPhones is worth your attention so I urge you to check out the piece, it’s a fascinating morning read.