ELECTRIC EELS INSPIRE TECH THAT COULD KEEP HEARTS BEATING
A research team at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, has created electric eel-inspired batteries that are soft with the potential to one day power medical implants like pacemakers. The power source is capable of generating 110 volts by using compartments filled with salt solutions of differing concentrations. While it may seem that the system would be large, given it needs several compartments, the researchers were able to make it all work on a sheet the size of printer paper. Eels are able to generate electricity from ion gradients in their body, so this sheet-like battery mimics that. The proof-of-concept batteries are made from hydrogels and could be biocompatible as well.