General
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Written by Gizmo
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Monday, 05 March 2007 05:39 |
Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) say they have developed a "new class of electronic components" that could lead the way to bendable and battery-less electronic devices inside the human body - which could monitor blood flow, organ activity and other vital signs.
Read the full story at TG Daily: The technology described by GIT scientists is dubbed "nano-piezotronics," which takes advantage of the semiconducting and piezoelectric characteristics of zinc oxide nanowires. So far, these properties have been used for field-effect transistors, diodes, sensors as well as nanogenerators that can produce controllable current by bending and releasing zinc oxide nanowires and nanobelts. According to a press release, nano-piezotronics can bend and adapt to the shape of their environment; to create usable current, nanogenerators take advantage of their environment and convert, for example, kinetic energy or heat into electricity. As a result, researchers believe that this technology could enable a new generation of body electronics - for example self-sustaining pacemakers that do not need batteries or nano-electronics that measure blood flow and temperatures down to the molecule level. Comment in the forums! |