Just when you thought that engineers have run out of ideas for harvesting power from mundane human activity, a scientist from Texas A&M invents a piezoelectric material that can turn sound waves into electricity. His idea? Stick it in a cell phone.
Piezoelectric materials generate an electric voltage when subjected to some sort of mechanical stress. When you read about harvesting energy from footsteps or dancing, for example, piezoelectrics are involved. What’s novel about this application is that it exploits nanoscale piezoelectric properties. When such a material is precisely between 20 and 23 nanometers thick, it can capture 100% more energy.
Such a size makes this material perfect to stick into a cell phone. The sound waves emitted by the phone (as well as, presumably, those emitted by its owner) exert stress on the material, which in turn generates electricity. Obviously, energy can’t be generated from nowhere. But if it can simply be absorbed from the environment, you could have – for all intents and purposes – a self-charging device.
Via Science Daily
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Comments (17)
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written by Kevin, December 03, 2008
Read a little about sound on Wikipedia and you'll see that the power levels you're dealing with are minuscule.
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written by Justin Boland, December 03, 2008
At no point in human history will we run out of ideas. Don't bet against human potential.
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written by Corban, December 03, 2008
This reminds me of an article in a 90's Discover issue where they made a macrosonic resonator that--surprise!--generated electricity from sound as well! Namely, the roar of some encased machine. I think that would be a better use of resources, as noise pollution actually contributes to workplace comfort.
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written by David, December 03, 2008
This technology has been around for quite some time in the US navy with the use of sound powered phones for internal shipboard communique. Interesting application though!
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written by Meredith, December 03, 2008
If this could be harnessed for cellphones I think that would be a great development!
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written by Erica, December 05, 2008
Yes, if we can get this more fully developed into cellphone technology, I would be a happy camper.
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written by Trent, December 22, 2008
What about creating walls or banks of "panels" coated in this material, adjacent to airports, highways, and even beaches? Not to mention, loud rock concerts or Times Square!
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written by Tom Witkin, January 09, 2009
This reminds me of a minature version of the Dragon Power Station, from Ontario-based Renewable Energy Group. Their technology captures kinetic energy from heavy vehicles as they pass over plates in roadways, then converts that energy to DC electricity. You can't stick that in your ear, but . . .
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written by Kerry, February 26, 2009
This idea may become a bit more interesting when you consider capturing a wide range of infared radiation (heat) and converting it first to the optimum frequency of sound (using nanotech) to produce electricity in certain extreme environments. Maybe deep space. Significantly more interesting? Not sure. Just throwing it out there.
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written by Ryan Ojeda, April 16, 2010
I had a dream last night that I was using the sound from my voice to charge my phone. When I woke up I couldn't remember my dream until about 3 today. Then it hit me, I thought I had the most briliant idea. So I started to check and see if sound waves could be used to create electricity, and I found this web page. I started to read it and couldn't believe someone had already been workin on it, so now Im kinda pissed. oh well, life goes on.
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written by novie farrofo, August 10, 2010
i know some day we will use sound as a source of energy for the future. we just have to dig in to it and have more researches about it.
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written by gary, October 30, 2011
you think you can't convert voice (vibrations) to power ? read about Edison's Vocal Engine, or phonomotor. just by talking into his machine he could also drill a hole through a board. imagine what politicians could do !
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written by MARKZEUS, February 04, 2012
but yeah, we gotta improve it still, until we harness more energy that is sufficient enough to make it it functional
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written by Galen, May 31, 2012
Simply google piezoelectric transducer. You'll find that vibratory and acoustic noise has been converted to electrical energy for decades. It is the very method used to measure vibratory motion in industrial machines. Today, a peizoelectric crystal is used. Before that (and continuing today), small linear generators called velocity probes were used for the same purpose. Those shaker style flashlights work like the velocity probe, and can generate significant power. The world is generally sperical, not flat, in case you missed that too.
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written by kamran, February 04, 2013
when i was talking to one of my friend suddenly the idea came in my mind about using the disturbing sound around us (the noise) to generate electricity and i started google it out and found this page. m really surprised that people are already thinking about it. one day we will be able to use this noise to generate electricity
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written by Hazelevesque, February 06, 2013
I work at a Uneveraty of Science in Benford. This artical must be quite old, as sound electricity has been around since late 1999. Maybe you want to start thinking about the extraction of energy from plants, the impact of rain on a surface, or candles that generate electricity as they burn. Scientists have. Humans are amazing creatures that are one of the most complex organisms in nature. We are hugely advanced life forms, but still need to realize that life forms, no matter how complex, cannot live with a destroyed Earth. So really, we first need to make sure our lives will go on before making things to make life easier.
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DEC 03
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