Transcript Blood Batteries

Blood Battery created by The
University of British
Columbia in Vancouver
(April 2009)
By: Jonathan Lloyd
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4,300 years ago it’s believed that Egyptians
used batteries to electroplate antimony onto
copper.
The first practical use of static electricity was
created by Alessandro Volta which led to the
invention of the Voltaic Cell in the year 1800.
A Voltaic Cell is more commonly known as a
battery!
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Lithium Ion Batteries, which are
the most common medical
batteries, last up to 15 years.
Blood Battery created by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York (August 2007)
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In comparison to a pacemaker, a lithium ion
battery is about half the weight (≈15g)
There are many restrictions for air transport of
lithium ion batteries
The cell life diminishes at 8% per year when
stored in a 98⁰F environment
When overheated it can leak and/or explode
Produces 4.2V and 2.3W max
Bulky
Cost ≈$55
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Composition: 90% Cellulose, 10% Carbon
Nanotubes
Looks and feels like paper
A 17”x22” sheet of Blood battery weighs ≈4g
Cell life doesn’t diminish
Produces 400nW
Can be cut and shaped to the devices needs
Cost ≈$45 per 17”x22” sheet
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Lithium Batteries use battery acid to provide a
current where Blood Batteries can use blood,
sweat or urine to provide a current. As long as
the battery is in an ionic solution it can charge
and create current. If placed on a pacemaker,
hearing aid, prosthetic, etc. it can power the
device without losing cell life or ever needing
to be replaced.
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Yeast based batteries have a small colony of
yeast inside the battery. The fuel cell can draw
energy from the glucose in the blood flowing
around it.
When the yeast metabolizes the glucose “steal”
electrons in order to make the current.
The only flaw with this device is the need to
dispose of the waste material after the
metabolization.
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Neither of these methods of Blood Batteries
have been tested on a medical device but they
are leading the biomedical field in research and
maybe one day soon they will be printing out
Blood Batteries like newspapers.
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Silverman, Jacob. "HowStuffWorks "Blood Batteries"" Howstuffworks
"Electronics" Web. 04 Apr. 2011. <http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/bloodbattery.htm>.
The Sydney Morning Herald. "Power from blood could lead to human 'batteries.'“
04 Apr. 2011. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/03/1059849278131.html
Edition, Morning. "Blood, Sweat Could Power New Paper Battery : NPR." NPR :
National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. Web. 04
Apr. 2011. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=13754475>.
Golijan, Rosa. "Can Your Body Be A Battery?" Gizmodo, the Gadget Guide. 15 Nov.
2009. Web. 04 Apr. 2011. <http://gizmodo.com/>.
Newitz, Annalee. "Batteries That Feed on Blood." Io9. We Come from the Future. 2
Apr. 2009. Web. 04 Apr. 2011. <http://io9.com/>.