Researchers at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) have conceived a brilliant innovation that just may come to fruition in the very near future. Researchers at the renowned academic institution are figuring out how to use perspiration to generate enough electricity to power electronic handheld devices.

Biobatteries, relying on “people power” are becoming a common trend in technological development, owing to their safety and dependency on a highly reliable renewable energy source – the human wearer. Other forms of biobatteries involve the harnessing energy from the warmth of movement, and some even involve using blood flow and the movement of organs.

“Our device is the first to use sweat. It’s a proof of concept,” said lead researcher Dr Wenzhao Jia of at the University of California, San Diego, who published her research in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

Researchers have created a temporary “tattoo” with implanted sensors that aid in electron transfer  that function to utilize the electrons produced from the active ingredient in sweat, lactate. The sensor transfers electrons from lactate, a naturally-present molecule in sweat after exercise, to a cathode that uses the electrons to produce electrical energy.

The more you sweat, the more potent the energy produced. Researchers have found that less active individuals tend to produce more power, attributing this to the fact that individuals who exercise less get fatigued faster and produce higher amounts of lactate.

The researchers have had success with their prototypes in generating a small amount of electricity (four microWatts) thus far, and are working on perfecting the technology to be able to produce enough electricity to meet the energy needs of the various handheld electronics currently on the market (10 microWatts for an electronic watch). They hope to do this by either making the device more sensitive to lactate or by incorporating a variety of biobattery cells in circuit.

Dr. Jia’s lab has partnered with a start-up company to further develop the product. Immediate steps include linking the energy “tattoo” to portable gadgets and finding a way to store the energy produced, perhaps through the integration of a capacitor.