- Researchers have developed a technology that makes smartwatches powered by your movement.
- This can be vital for watches that keep track of your health around the clock.
- It can take a while before you can put a device on your wrist.
You can keep an automatic mechanical watch running by moving around, but you don’t have that luxury with smartwatches – at some point you have to take them off to recharge the battery. However, this may not be a problem in the future. As the South china morning post Researchers at the University of Hong Kong in China have reportedly developed technologies (see image below) that can make smartwatches powered by human movement.
The breakthrough revolves around an energy harvester with a magnetic frequency converter that amplifies the output ten times to 1.74 mW. Swing your arm and you might have enough power from that movement to control a smartwatch display, processor, and health monitoring features like a heart rate monitor. The amount of force depends on your activity (a workout would be far better than sitting at your desk), but you may never need to take the watch off your wrist if it is efficient enough.
You wouldn’t have to compromise on size either. The entire harvester is approximately 0.3 square inches.
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The smartwatch powered by human movements could have other benefits beyond convenience. It could help the environment by reducing or eliminating the need for batteries. The harvester is also simpler and cheaper than conventional smartwatches. And unlike a mechanical watch, there are no gears to cause friction or failure.
It can take a while to put on such bracelets. Scientists said they hoped to get the technology to market but didn’t estimate when it might happen. However, it can happen that your smartwatch has a practically infinite life. As long as there is a decent amount of exercise, you can keep track of your sleep and other health habits without a single interruption.
