I like to move it, move it
February 8 2029
Gone are the days when your heart-rate monitor training coach smartwatch needed a battery. Actually, gone are the days of batteries for any wearable gadget. With the last 10 years of advances in energy generation tech, wearables don’t need to store power any more. They are, literally, always on when you put them on (pun intended).
Static electricity, kinetic energy, electricity in sweat, movement power, under-skin solar cells, induction mesh, and of course, some good old (new) batteries — the field of wearable energy tech turned the legacy battery industry upside down. Why have a clunky battery in your gym T-shirt when the power required is only needed when you wear it? Strech-’nflex was the first “Move It Move It” wearable energy line. The technology makes use of micro capacitors charged by the piezoelectricity created by your movements.
Their next product launch was Induction Mesh, which generates power through induction from the ambient static in humid air. It was an immediate hit among suit and dress manufacturers. But the real breakthrough came with SunBeam, an under-skin solar power nanofilm. It’s ideal for anyone exercising or working outdoors in the sun. Like your skin, it’s also waterproof, appealing to divers, swimmers, surfers and sailors.
Douglas Brown, CPO (chief power officer) at Move It Move It, elaborates on the future potential of SunBeam: “The power lies in its size flexibility. We can graft just the right size nano-film for your energy needs. Your embedded subway ticket and credit cards require very little, while the skin-fi connected health sensor needs a bit more.” For larger wearables for industrial use, like lower arm displays, holographic keyboards and the like, Brown recommends using their kinetic power bracelets.
An added advantage is that now you don’t need to do 20 squats to pay for your bus ride — your clothes’“generators” earn credits while you walk to the bus stop, take the stairs (instead of the elevator) in the office, or just a leisurely stroll through Central Park on a sunny afternoon. Or dance with a bunch of meerkats in virtual reality.
So get with the programme and Move It, Move It, Move It! /First published on Mindbullets on February 8 2024
NOW THIS IS REAL PEOPLE POWER August 26 2027
Remember the days when batteries in mobile phones and other devices ran flat every day? An irritation to be sure, but for critical implanted devices like pacemakers, failing battery power was nothing short of life-threatening.
That’s what prompted the idea that under-skin solar power-packs could drive such medical devices. Researchers in Switzerland proved the theory after extensive testing, showing that even in low-sunlight areas, and regardless of the season, these power cells could generate around 12 microwatts — double the requirement for a pacemaker.
From there it was an easy step to scale up the efficiency of the devices, as has been happening with solar generation everywhere, and the company SkinPower was launched. It offers simple surgical implants of under-the-skin powerpacks, able to charge most of our mobile toys and medical gizmos
— and in particular new-generation implanted communication devices.
Even though batteries across the board have radically improved in efficiency, the idea of becoming a walking power plant clearly appeals to a new generation of tech-enthused people, and SkinPower has become the new must-have.
In fact, solar overall has become the world’s No 1 power source, backed by hugely efficient battery storage. The critical difference is that solar is a technology, not a resource, and is thus effectively limitless.
The tipping point was reached a while back when, pretty much anywhere in the world, the cost of installing and running rooftop solar plus battery storage, whether residential, commercial or industrial, was shown to be cheaper than the cost of producing and transmitting energy, no matter the source — coal, natural gas or nuclear.
And now the age of true human power — and free — is upon us! /First published on Mindbullets on February 2 2017