Ten times more energy-efficient microchip recharges itself

Stan Beer
Monday, 17 March 2008 15:49

Science - Energy

There may also be a variety of military applications in the production of tiny, self-contained sensor networks that could be dispersed in a battlefield (the research was funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency).

In some applications, such as implantable medical devices, the goal is to make the power requirements so low that they could be powered by "ambient energy," Chandrakasan says—using the body's own heat or movement to provide all the needed power. In addition, the technology could be suitable for body area networks or wirelessly enabled body sensor networks.