Human Might Turn Into Cyborg Sooner Than You Think

Wenzhuo Wu and his team at Purdue University are working on a way to harvest and convert biomechanical energy to a sustainable voltage that can be used for both commercial and military purposes.

Wu said that this technology can make use of currently wasted energy to power electronic devices, such as body sensors, tools to monitor users’ health, as well as devices serving for the armed force.

This innovation has already attracted a lot of attention as the team is receiving patent partner offers and it is now on the lookout for financial aid. According to IDTechEX, by 2028, the market for TENG (Triboelectric energy harvesting transducers) may be worth $480 million.

This equipment consists of liquid metal in silicone wedged between two Ecoflex layers. It can turn the mechanical energy of a living body into a self-sustaining electrical voltage. The team has conducted a test run with the LMI-TENG powering a personal interface.

The idea of harvesting human’s biomechanical energy to power electronic devices may change our entire perception of the relation between us and technology, which is a vision that is supposed to be in a sci-fi movie only.

More interestingly, this is exactly where Wu and his team found the inspiration for this special invention. A cyborg-like existence could mean the end of human species as we know today, but it might be a necessary step to save our Earth.

In the worst case scenario, some people might envision a future when the poorer are used as biomechanical energy generators for the rich, or the world is divided into smaller parts with their own self-sustaining government.

No matter what the future turns out to be, we must think of it now as Wu and his team are moving fast with their technology. Not to mention other scientists around the world.

To see for yourself the technology of Wu’s team, watch this video: