In New York, researchers at Binghamton University have harnessed bacteria to create a stretchable, fabric-based battery. More specifically, the fuel cells used bacteria as a biocatalyst to initiate the chemical reaction.
Lead researcher Seokheun Choi, who had previously published work on paper-based batteries, says the breakthrough could open the door for wearable technology such as health devices activated by human sweat or spit.
“There is a clear and pressing need for flexible and stretchable electronics that can be easily integrated with a wide range of surroundings to collect real-time information,” Dr. Choi says. “Those electronics must perform reliably even while intimately used on substrates with complex and curvilinear shapes, like moving body parts or organs.”
The battery continued to generate power after repeated stretching and twisting of the material.