Researchers in Canada develop innovative chin strap that harvests energy from jaw movement, produces electricity

Sep 18, 2014 20:03 GMT  ·  By
Innovative chin strap harvests energy from jaw movements, produces electricity
   Innovative chin strap harvests energy from jaw movements, produces electricity

Let's face it, we all adore eating all sorts of tasty dishes, and we are all head over heels in love with our phones. Apparently, a team of brainiacs in Canada have figured out a way to mix and match these two great passions of ours.

In a nutshell, these researchers have developed a device that harvests energy from regular jaw movements and generates electricity. What this means is that one day – hopefully in the not-too-distant future – we could recharge our phones simply by eating.

Battery running low? No problem. Just head for the nearest hot dog stand or fast food joint and order yourself a serving of French fries or whatnot. Yes, keeping your phone alive could one day be as simple as that.

Introducing the food- and gadgets-friendly device

In a paper published in yesterday's issue of the journal Smart Materials and Structures, the Canadian scientists behind this research project explain that their device is basically a chin strap made of a smart material that produces an electric charge in response to mechanical stress.

More precisely, the chin strap comprises integrated electrodes and an adhesive polymer matrix. To keep it in contact with one's jaw during meal times, one need only attach it to a pair of ear muffs with the help of elastic side straps.

Granted, this design is not the most flattering for a chin strap, but it's safe to assume that one or two Hello Kitty or Pirates of the Caribbean drawings would be more than enough to make the device a wee more appealing to the general public.

It will be a while until the device hits markets

The bad news is that, by the looks of it, it will be quite a while before your average Joe or Jane gets to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner and power their gadgets, hearing aids and whatnot at the same time. This is because the chin strap does not yet produce enough electricity to be able to charge anything.

Writing in the journal Smart Materials and Structures, the Canadian researchers explain that, during one experiment, their chin strap rolled out just 10 µW. Simply put, this device is still a long way from making the most of the kinetic energy of jaw movements.

“Given that the average power available from chewing is around 7 mW, we still have a long way to go before we perfect the performance of the device,” study co-author Aidin Delnavaz with Canada's Institute of Physics said in a statement, as cited by Science Daily.

“The power level we achieved is hardly sufficient for powering electrical devices at the moment; however, we can multiply the power output by adding more PFC layers to the chin strap. For example, 20 PFC layers, with a total thickness of 6 mm, would be able to power a 200 µW intelligent hearing protector,” he added.

Rest assured, the moment these guys are ready to share their creation with the world, you will hear about it here.