Biophan Technologies, Inc., a Rochester, NY based company, has announced that it received a “Best of the Best” award from Nanotech Briefs magazine. One of the nanotechnolgies that they have in the pipeline is the biothermal (thermoelectric) power source for implantable devices, touted as “a lifetime of reliable electrical power for a wide range of implantable medical devices.” Based on the thermoelectrics technology that allows generation of electricity as a result of differential temperatures between hot and cold, the company sees a large market ahead for itself:
Based on innovations in thermoelectric materials, this technology converts thermal energy produced naturally by the human body into usable electrical energy.
The resulting power can be used to trickle charge batteries for devices with high discharge requirements, such as ICDs and drug pumps; or to directly power implanted devices such as pacemakers.
To learn more (company’s links to USPTO patent page, short PowerPoint presentation, etc)…