Temporary Tattoo Converts Sweat into Electricity Dylan Duarte August 13, 2014 We’re going to get to a day where a person will have a whole sleeve of tattoos, each with their own practical purpose. Somewhere near my wrist I’ll have my Motorola Digital Tattoo that will unlock my smartphone and then somewhere further up my arm I’ll have my temporary tattoo that tracks my exercise and converts my sweat into electricity. A team of people smarter than I at the University of California San Diego developed the tattoo, which measures lactate, a substance found in perspiration. Currently the only way to measure your lactate is through an inconvenient blood test that has to be done during an exercise session. In this case, an enzyme present in the tattoo collects electrons from the lactate and converts them into electric current, which the researchers have found a way to convert into a biobattery. So far, the most energy that one person produced has been 70 microWatts per square centimeter of skin, but the team is looking to boost that output to levels that can power small devices. Check out the video below to see and hear more about the process. via Engadget Share This With The World!
