Today we read about the latest attempt to harvest the energy from body movement to power implantable medgadgets. This goal is being thought out by a partnership of UK-based companies, such as Zarlink Semiconductor, InVivo Technology, Finsbury Orthopaedics and others. For an unknown (to us) reason, the UK taxpayer UK Department of Trade and Industry, is dishing out £500,000 to help the consortium.
Here’s how the prototype (pictured) works:
The generator uses the motion of a moving coil through a static magnetic field to induce a voltage across the coil… It consists of a discrete coil located within a micromachined silicon mass located at the end of a cantilever. The mass and coil are designed to vibrate laterally between 4 magnets located in capping layers. The magnetic circuit is designed to maximise the flux gradient across the coil and therefore the power generated.
The official project site…
The announcement…