Nanowires Allow For Electricity-Generating Clothing

lee1 writes "The latest development in the field of 'energy harvesting', which includes such opportunistic technology such as self-winding watches, generators implanted in soldier's boots, and knee brace dynamos, is a cloth that generates electrical power. The cloth is newly developed by scientists in the US, and can produce up to 80 milliwatts per square metre. It is made from brush-like fibres composed of a Kevlar stalk surrounded by zinc oxide nanowire crystals that generate electricity through the piezoelectric effect. They can be grown on any substrate, including hair. The power harnessed from this effect could be used for anything from cosmetic components to the powering of medical devices."

What about...

[TubeSteak]

Can it be grown on sharks?
/to power the frickin' laser beams

Don't hug me bro!

[barocco]

Don't hug me bro!

Their first attempts were a complete failure

[Anonymous Coward]

The nanowire bath towels were a shocking failure.

Proper marketing will be needed to overcome consumer resistance.

What we really need...

[Anonymous Coward]

... is a way to generate electricity by masturbation. I could probably power my data center... and maybe yours too!

Grown on hair?

[LaRoach]

They can be grown on any substrate, including hair

Then my back is gonna run the whole house!

Powering medical devices?

[Jason Levine]

I can see it now:

"Grandpa, why won't you stop running?"

"Can't Junior. If I stop, my pacemaker will shut down. I shouldn't even stop to talk to y-... *urk*"

*thud*

An interesting application

[Charcharodon]

Make the bed sheets out of them....

"Damn it woman, leave me alone and go to sleep. Don't give me that "my iPod needs charging", I already checked it, it's full.

Re:An interesting application

[Anonymous Coward]

"Damn it you horny bastard, I have a headache! Leave me alone and go to sleep. Don't give me that "my iPod needs charging", I already checked it, it's full.

There, fixed it for you.

Re:forgive my ignorance

[Hillgiant]

Dude! Just how fat are you to be able to power your TV with 80 milliWatts per m^2?

Re:Think nuclear

[robertjw]

I'm cringing. There is NO WAY I'm wearing nuclear clothes.

Re:The Matrix

[Surt]

Years from now we aren't remembering it, because we think it wasn't thousands of years in the past, thanks to the matrix.

Re:Beat me again!

[sm62704]

The joke died in the '70s, man.

No it didn't, I've been keeping it on life support.

The place I worked at had a Wang minicomputer as late as 1995, and even bough Wang PCs. The secretaries all loved Wangs!

How bout bra's?

[ShiNoKaze]

So a large breasted woman could power all kind of devices right? And the "power" captured would be taking stress away from the skin. So they would be less inclined to sag in the future right? You could prolly even tell who was natural and who wasn't by the power output, as the fake one's tend to be more.. solid. This should be done for the good of mankind!

Re:What we really need...

[Anonymous Coward]

You're not going to jack into my network, buddy!