Scientists Discover Ways to Generate Electricity From the Human Body

The human body could be turned into a power station, scientists have discovered.

As strange as it may seem, it’s unbelievably true.

So how is it possible?

Scientists have in the past found ways to harness electricity from the wind, human waste, solar energy, among others. They have even discovered alternative ways in which we can charge our smartphones.

One of their latest discoveries is piezoelectricity which is electricity resulting from pressure. In this form of electricity, small amounts of energy are produced when pressure is pushed out of shape.

According to scientists, one way to utilize this form of electricity is through artificial pacemakers. Artificial pacemakers typically turn off after a few years when their batteries run out. However, scientists say it’s now possible for pacemakers to operate for a lifetime if it harnesses energy from the heartbeat.

Scientists have revealed that the same innovative technology could be used to generate electricity outside the body.

According to Professor Zhong Lin Wang of Georgia Institute of Technology, a flexible, foldable, and wearable power source could allow people to generate electricity from their own bodies while walking.

A wearable power source referred to as a “power shirt” is currently being developed. The power shirt is woven from pairs of coated fibres including some tiny strips of gold and zinc oxide.

During movement, these fibers rub against each other, thus producing electric currents.

Pizzicato energy is another form of energy produced when a device consisting of a central hub and an outer ring is fixed onto the knee. As a person walks, the outer rings continuously rotate and the 72 spectra around it swiftly pluck four piezoelectric arms on the central hub, generating an electric current.

Scientists have also discovered the possibility of harnessing electrical energy from our own footsteps.

Enough Electrical Energy to Power iPhone 5C

In theory, electricity generated from our brains could charge an iPhone 5C In 70 hours.

While there are no proven ways to harness electricity from our minds, it would be a huge breakthroughs for scientists should this incredible technology become a reality.

How can the Brain Can Produce Electricity?

According to scientists, the human brain consists of 100 billion electrically conductive “wires” (neurons) and that 1% of these wires are firing at any moment.

Therefore, should the 100 billion neurons fire at the same exact time, about 0.0085 Watts of electrical power would be produced. This is enough electricity to power an energy-saving LED bulb.

iPhone 5C holds a charge of 5.7 4 Watt hours. This simply means that it would take approximately 70 hours to fully charge the iPhone.

Of course, this is not the most efficient way of charging the handset considering it takes less than 3 hours to charge it. However, it’s a clear that our bodies hold a significant amount of electrical charge that can be utilized in various ways.

It may not seem like the most effective and efficient way to harness electricity but with more research, this could become beneficial in many ways.

For example, a model in the Science Museum’s Atmosphere gallery indicates the possibility of harnessing electricity from footsteps in the walkway leading to the Olympic park- enough electricity to light the walkway eight hours each day.

The future certainly looks bright.

Volcano Drilling in Iceland Opens Door to Volcano-Powered Electricity

“We could drill into the enormous heat from volcanoes to harness its energy for electricity,” a report from a geothermal borehole projected dubbed the Icelandic Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) stated.

According to the report, IDDP has been drilling shafts reaching up to 5000 m in attempt to harness the massive heat energy from the volcanic bedrocks deep into the surface of Iceland. However, as luck would have it, a pocket of magma was unexpectedly struck in 2009 after reaching only 2100 m in their borehole at Krafla in the northeast of Iceland.

The scientists measured high temperatures ranging from 900-1000 degrees Fahrenheit (over 450 degrees Celsius), compared to only 60-80 degrees Celsius from conventional geothermal energy sources.

Volcanic Geothermal Energy Potential

Unlike conventional geothermal energy which utilizes steam from natural sources such a geysers or drawing water from the super-hot depths of the Earth, volcanic geothermal energy utilizes heat from “supercritical water.”

Scientists have found that energy from supercritical water is much higher compared to that from conventional geothermal heat. Supercritical water is formed when water and molten rock meet, and the extreme heat and pressure transforms the state of water where it’s neither liquid nor gas.

According to researchers, volcanic geothermal energy could create up to 10 times more power output compared to conventional geothermal energy.

The heat from magma was found to be capable of generating about 36 MW of electrical power, which is considerably modest compared to the 660 MW generated from coal-fired power plants and more than half of current output from Krafla plant’s, which is 60 MW.

Future Alternative Energy Source

While the volcano drilling project on the Krafla plant has had its fair share of setbacks that limited harnessing of energy to full potential, IDDP in collaboration with other energy companies in Iceland are working towards making their next drilling operations much easier and more successful.

Research is expected to continue through 2018 in attempt to explore the full potential of volcanic thermal energy, especially as an alternative energy source.

According to Wilfred Elders, a geology professor at the University of California, the success of the drilling was amazing, to say the least. "This could possibly lead to a revolution in the energy efficiency of high-temperature geothermal projects in the near future.” he further added.

By drilling deeper boreholes, the IDDP are sure to harness more volcano energy in the future. The company, together with other energy companies in Iceland, has made a substantial investment to further investigate the underlying potential of these boreholes.

Hopefully, massive production of volcano-powered electricity will be made into a reality in the near future, especially considering that non-renewable energy sources are diminishing day by day.

Biomass as an Alternative Energy and the Benefits

The oil crisis and world overdependence on fossil fuels have paved the way for new developments in alternative energy sources. One of these alternative sources is biomass, which certainly has the potential of being considered a good substitute for fossil fuel. Seeds of fortune are often planted in the throes of a crisis. Biomass may just be that seed of fortune you are looking for.

Biomass is a natural and renewable energy source that is derived from recently dead biological matter and is used as a bio-fuel. It usually comes from plants, but it also comes from animal matter and other agricultural biodegradable waste. Examples of plants that can be used as biomass are corn, sugar cane, wheat, and switchgrass. Waste matter from plants like coconut husks, rice hulls, and bagasse (waste from sugar cane) are also examples of biomass.

Biomass works like this. It is burned to produce heat that makes hot water, which then produces steam that can power turbines. Since biomass is also carbon-based like traditional fossil fuel, it has a comparable burning rate that makes it suitable as an energy source for small-scale power generation. But unlike fossil fuels, biomass absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during its growing lifetime.

Biomass has become a popular alternative source of energy in farming areas and other areas where there is a huge amount of agricultural waste. Farmers have used biomass to power their equipment and for post-harvest processing of agricultural crops.

As an energy source, biomass has many applications depending on the type of material used, the location, and the processing that it has to undergo to make it usable. The simplest biomass application is agricultural fertilizers. Biomass materials can also be used for fiber or building material. Further chemical processing, such as hydrogenation, can produce a biomass that makes it a suitable fuel source. Biomass is also sometimes used for space heating applications.

Some environmentalists argue that biomass is part of the carbon cycle and as such emits greenhouse gases that contribute to global warning. That said, biomass emits 50% less than emissions from burning fossil fuel. Furthermore, the disadvantage of having carbon dioxide emission can be offset by the fact that biomass is often sourced from recycled waste materials, therefore significantly reducing solid waste. This helps to classify it as an efficient and cost-effective energy source.

In addition to this environmental concern, biomass raises another critical issue in the food vs. fuel debate. Some argue that using biomass for energy instead of using it as an edible food is unconscionable. This argument has been magnified by the more recent oil and food price crises, where critics point out that biomass could have helped create or at least magnify the rising cost of food staples. However, some studies suggest the amount of crops that go to bio-fuel production may not be significant enough to tip the food demand.

The Neurologic and Neuropsychological Symptoms of Electric Shock

An electric shock is the physiological sensation, reaction, or injury caused by an electric current passing through a human body. It typically occurs when a person comes into contact with any electrical energy source that has the ability to cause a sufficient current through the muscles, skin, or hair.

How dangerous an electric shock is mainly depends on the power of the voltage, type of the current, how the current travels through a person’s body, and how quickly the person is treated. According to scientists, even a little amount of electricity can be dangerous. An electric shock is known to cause cardiac arrest, internal damage, neurologic and neuropsychological complications, and other injuries.

The Neurologic and Neuropsychological Effects of Electric Shock

Numerous studies conducted indicate that an electric shock ranging from 120-52,000 volts can cause severe neurologic and neuropsychological symptoms in humans. After an electrical accident, some patients show various emotional and behavioral after-effects such as memory loss, loss of consciousness, and depression.

Study Evidence

Dr. Benoit Bailey, an ER pediatrician and toxicologist collaborated with pediatricians Robert Thivierge and Pierre Gaudreault in a study whose aim was to assess the prevalence of short-term neurologic and neuropsychological symptoms after several months and also one year after an electric shock incident severe enough to have prompted a 24-hour cardiac monitoring.

The goal of the October 2000-November 2004 study was to find out whether any symptoms were associated with risk factors such as loss of consciousness, transthoracic current, tetany (neuromuscular spasms), or a shock of 1000 volts or more.

This is a study in which 134 patients aged 1-67 whose electric shocks were either from domestic causes (48% with shocks ranging from 120-240 volts) and others from industrial causes (38% with shocks ranging from 347-1200 volts) took part in.

Telephone follow-ups were also conducted to evaluate neurologic and neuropsychological symptoms such as muscular weakness, general fatigue, memory loss, dizziness, depression, psychological symptoms, pain, and extreme numbness. The first follow-up was finalized a few months after the electric shock accident while the second was carried out a year later.

During the short-term follow-up, the researchers found that 30 of 111 patients complained of new neurologic or neuropsychological symptoms. Common symptoms recorded were pain and general fatigue. Results from the one-year follow-up indicated that 24 of 86 patients still suffered from the symptoms. A few in the group even developed new symptoms.

From these studies, it’s plain to see that electric shock really does cause neurologic and neuropsychological symptoms. Although how electric shock causes these symptoms is somehow unclear, Doctor Bailey suggests that certain mechanisms are probably involved.

All the same, the fact that the effects of electric shock can cause late neurologic and neuropsychological symptoms should alarm all ER physicians in order to ensure that treatment is provided with immediate effect.