The electricity that one uses for everyday tasks is created by a set of large magnets, coils, and rotors known as a generator. The rotor spins the magnet and copper coil, making it produce massive amounts of electricity that are transferred to homes across the world.

1. Study Finds That Laser-Induced
Graphene and Human
Movement May be Enough to
Power Wearable Electronics
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2. The electricity that one uses for everyday tasks is created by a set of large magnets, coils, and rotors
known as a generator. The rotor spins the magnet and copper coil, making it produce massive
amounts of electricity that are transferred to homes across the world.
According to the United States’ Energy Information Administration, this method was first discovered
in 1831 by Michael Faraday. He noticed that when he passed a magnet through a coil of wire, it
created electricity. While power stations use different sources to harness energy (steam, water,
wind, and more), they all serve the same purpose: to rotate the turbines of a large generator.
However, recent innovations are starting to make generators smaller and smaller. Researchers at
Rice University have found a way to harness energy using a wearable device. Here’s how it works.

3. The Triboelectric Effect
The device they created used the “triboelectric effect.” According to Harvard Natural Sciences, this
happens when different materials create an electric charge when rubbed together and pulled apart
after. An example of this is the feeling one gets of an electrical charge after rubbing one’s socks on a
carpet rigorously. In this case, the researchers powered laser-induced graphene using friction or
small impacts from a person’s movements.

4. The Power of Movement
Laser-induced graphene is produced when graphene foam is heated on a plastic surface using a laser.
They attached this product to all sorts of everyday objects. The material’s repeated contact with a
person’s foot when it was attached to a slipper created enough energy to power a small capacitor.
Upon further testing, the researchers found that a one-kilometer walk stored enough electricity in the
generator to power wearable electronics.
The paper was published in the American Chemical Society’s ACS Nano Journal in 2019.
Although these small generators, powered by human movements, are no match for today’s
powerplants, they’re a step forward in sustainable energy. If research for laser-induced graphene
continues to be supported, the idea of plugging in one’s devices into an outlet for charging may soon
be a thing of the past.

5. RESOURCES:
https://qess.net/
https://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/triboelectric-effects
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.9b02596