Two pairs of socks that can be worn on the skin to generate electricity to power a WiFi connection to a computer. According to scientists at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (UWE Bristol), the wearer’s movements move urine through miniaturized microbial fuel cell (MFCs). This fuels the socks. The study leader is Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos. He works at Bristol BioEnergy Centre. The scientists claim that their system was the first to be self-sufficient and is powered by a wearable energy source based on microbiological fuel technology. Drawing of the manual pumping mechanism in the socks that circulates urine via the miniature microbial fuel cell. Image: iopscience.iop.org. MFCs are a new way to recover renewable energy. They convert organic matter into electricity using bacteria. Although this sounds more science fiction than fact for many, scientists have known for years that bacteria can be used to produce electricity. Professor Ieropoulos explained that MFCs were placed in a pair wearable socks, and the urine was circulated by them as they walked. The urine was not required to be pumped by mains electricity. Until the experiment, continuous flow MFCs needed mains power to move the urine. Professor Ieropoulos’s team was able to generate all of the electricity by walking. Based on the human walking motion and simple fish circulation system, the manual pump allowed urine to pass through the MFCs to generate energy. The continuous fluid push-pull process was achieved by placing soft tubs under the heels of the socks. This was in addition to the individual’s walking activity. The wearable microbial fuel cells system was able to operate a wireless transmission board, which sent two messages per minute via Wi-Fi to a computer-controlled receiver module. The urine socks can be worn to generate electricity, which can either charge your smartphone or transmit Wi-Fi signals from a computer. This is a renewable and amazing source of energy. Image: iopscience.iop.org. Prof. Ieropoulos explains: “Having previously powered a mobile telephone with MFCs using urine fuel, we wanted see if it was possible to replicate that success in wearable tech. The system should be completely self-sufficient and run only on human energy – urine is used as fuel, and the action by the foot acts as the pump. “This research opens up new possibilities for using waste to power portable and wearable electronic devices. Recent research has shown that it is possible to create a wearable MFC system to send a person’s coordinates to emergency situations. The biochemical energy used for microbial growth is converted into electrical power. According to the authors, their technology is able to use any type of organic waste without needing fossil fuels and convert it directly into electricity. This is a valuable and affordable green technology. A prototype urinal was launched by Oxfam and Bristol BioEnergy Centre using urine power (also known as wee-power) to light refugee camp cubicles. In an abstract in the journal, the authors write: “A wireless programming module was used to power portable and wearable electronic devices. This opens up new research opportunities in the use of waste products.” Reference: J Greenman. M Taghavi. A Stinchcombe. V Mattoli. I A Ieropoulos. L Beccai. B Mazzolai. C Melhuish. Bioinspiration and Biomimetics. 10th December, 2015. DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/11/1/016001. Video: Pee-Power Urinal. This prototype is the product of collaboration between Oxfam and UWE Bristol scientists. The pee-power technology is expected to lighten cubicles in refugee camp, which can be dangerous and dark for women.
