UW researchers develop generator that could charge phones, laptops through small body movements

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed a tiny, wearable generator that could allow people to charge their phone by moving their body on a morning run.

According to the University of Waterloo, the device uses the piezoelectric effect, harnessing the energy gained from compressing small pieces of crystal or ceramic into small amounts of voltage.

This represents a significant breakthrough in the technology, as previously the materials needed for a similar device were less flexible, less energy-efficient and more expensive.

“This is a real game changer,” said Dr. Asif Khan, the project’s lead researcher at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Waterloo, in a press release. “We have made the first device of its kind that can power electronics at low cost and with unprecedented efficiency.”

The generator could also be applied in laptops to charge the device with every keystroke while people type.

“Those older materials are brittle, expensive and have a limited ability to generate electricity,” said Dr. Dayan Ban, professor and researcher at the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, in a press release. “The materials we’ve created for the new generator are flexible, more energy-efficient and cost less.”

The researchers are currently working with an unnamed Canadian company to commercialize the generator, with the idea of using it in the aviation sector to power the systems on planes that monitor the status of safety equipment.