Singaporean researchers have developed a new method for powering wearable devices

2023-12-29

The research team led by Associate Professor Gerald Yoo from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore has made a breakthrough in using the human body as a transmission medium to power wearable devices, including those used in medical environments. The relevant research results were published in the journal Nature Electronics.

Wearable devices such as smartwatches are very popular now, and one of their obvious drawbacks is the need for frequent charging. The small size and low capacity of batteries mean that they need to be charged daily, making it inconvenient to frequently charge multiple small devices. The technology developed by the team allows a single device, such as a mobile phone in a pocket, to use the user's body as a power transmission medium to wirelessly power other wearable devices on the user's body. In order to expand the operation of wireless devices, researchers have designed a receiving and transmitting system that uses the body as a medium for power transmission and energy collection. Each receiver and transmitter has an internal chip that serves as a springboard to expand the coverage of the entire body. Users connect the transmitter to a single power source, such as a smartwatch on their wrist, while the receiver can be placed anywhere on their body to power multiple wearable devices through a process called body coupled power transmission.

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