Piezoelectric chin strap: a new way to charge devices

Electronics are everywhere, prevalent in every aspect of today's society, from today's methods of instantaneous communication to awe inspiring entertainment. But with so much technology comes a big problem: sustaining energy. In fact, to power all of these devices, devices that hold tonnes of sensitive data, requires many gigawatts of electrical power, and producing that much power takes a lot of energy derived from, mostly, fossil fuels and nuclear power, both of which can cause huge negative impacts to the environment. Fortunately, there are alternatives, such as wind and solar, but there is one specifically that will eventually power many of today's small electronics. Its called kinetic energy, biological movement converted into potential electrical energy, but is not readily available yet; however, researchers at  École de technologie supérieure have developed a chinstrap composed of piezoelectric fiber composites, integrated electrodes and an adhesive polymer mix that conduct a electric charge when they undergo mechanical stress, seeing as the act of chewing has the potential to produce about 7 mW of electrical power. The problem is that it can only produce 0.000018 W at this time, but the intent of the strap was to prove that electricity derived from kinetic energy is possible, and they hope to modify and improve its design to be used in power medical implants and even smartphones. Hopefully, our society will eventually evolve into a world completely independent of non renewable resources and looking into possible sources of energy that could power all these devices. To see more about their invention, go to this link: http://www.gizmag.com/piezoelectric-chin-strap-electricty/33885/