Bioengineers create a self-powered bioelectronic device

Bioengineers at UCLA have created a soft and flexible self-powered bioelectronic device. The flexible device can create the power it needs to operate from body motion ranging from the bending of an elbow to the movement created by the pulse on a wrist. Project researchers discovered something called the magnetoelastic effect, which creates a charge when small magnets are pushed together and pulled apart by mechanical pressure, exists in a soft and flexible system, not just a rigid system.The team created a concept device using microscopic magnets dispersed in a silicone matrix as thin as a sheet of paper. The magnetic field changes in strength as the matrix moves, generating electricity. Researchers believe that their device can be used to power a range of wearable and implantable electronic sensors to monitor various health conditions.

One unique aspect of the technology is that it relies on magnetism rather than electricity, so humidity and sweat don't harm its effectiveness. The team created a flexible magnetoelastic generator approximately the size of a quarter constructed of a platinum-catalyzed silicone polymer matrix embedded with neodymium-iron-boron-nanomagnets. The flexible device was attached to a study participant's elbow using a silicone band.

Researchers found the magnetoelastic effect was four times greater than any rigid system of similar size. The test system was able to generate 4.27 milliamperes per square centimeter of electrical current. While that's not much electricity, it is 10,000 times more than comparable technology.

The device created by the researchers was so sensitive that it could generate power from human pulse waves. That opens the door to a self-powered and waterproof heart rate monitor. A patent has been filed for the technology, but there's no indication when or if it might become commercially available.