BioElectric
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Researchers develop cell spray to repair hearts, healthy dose of electricity included
Spray-on solutions have found a place in green technology and even in transmitting radio waves, and they're no strangers to medical research, either. Researchers at the British Heart Foundation are working on a bioelectric spray composed of heart cells to help mend that most vital of organs. Because the cells need to be extremely thin to form a sheet of heart tissue, they are passed through a conductive needle that charges them with up to 30,000 volts. Exposing the cells to an electric field turns the solution into small droplets, which in turn form the cardiac sheet. The scientists can also add other types of cells to create "three-dimensional" tissue, which can be grafted onto injured hearts or sprayed onto scar tissue to help patients' tickers pump more strongly. As is so often the case, the next step will be testing the technology on animals, and the project's ultimate goal is to use this spray-on solution rather than making patients wait for donor hearts.
Researchers use virus's rogue traits to create electricity from motion
Viruses are the swarming bullies of biology, but it turns out their alarming self-replication could one day power your iPod. We've seen them in batteries before, but researchers at Berkeley Labs have now coated electrodes with modified M13 bacteriophage, a harmless bacteria-eating virus, to create the first ever organic piezoelectric material -- which can convert force to electricity. The team explained that such a substance would be non-toxic, organize naturally into thin layers and self-regenerate, giving it a possible advantage over chemical options. In theory, by attaching a thin film of it to your shoes, power could be generated when walking, lending volts to the myriad electronics we pack around nowadays. To see a finger-powered video demo of our frequent-enemies making themselves useful for a change, stroll on past the break.
Sony demos paper-fueled battery; Paper Mario runs for life
Remember Sony's sugar high from a few years back? Sony has been trying to get electric results from glucose-based batteries for some time. But with the competition showing off cool concepts like Coke-powered phones, Sony's Bio Battery program brought its latest development to Eco-Products 2011 in Tokyo. This info just might be worth the paper it's printed on because, well, the battery runs on paper. By using the enzyme cellulase, the device can break down the glucose from cellulose-rich paper or cardboard, which generates enough energy to run a small fan. It's not quite ready for prime time, but given the potential of easily turning junk mail into electricity at a more portable scale, this is certainly worth a continued look.
Sony achieves world's highest output from sugar battery
Another day, another fuel cell milestone. This time, it's sugar at the bio-electrical base. Unfortunately, the world's highest output they're touting is just 50mW per cell. Still, if you daisy chain a few together then you've got enough juice (literally) to power a modern Walkman albeit, from a battery roughly 10x the size of the player. Be sure to check their video after the break -- produced with just enough hair-porn-era synth music to make the otherwise benign experience, painful.[Via TokyoMango]
