The Instituto Tecnológico de la Energía (ITE) has created a biobattery that is integrated into sportswear, using sweat as a source of energy . This advance was presented at the Levante UD stadium, with a functional prototype on the team’s shirt, designed to power wearable devices for health monitoring.
ENERGYM CELL project: Biobatteries that use sweat as energy
The ITE ENERGYM CELL project focuses on the collection of clean energy (energy harvesting) from human sweat. This type of biological battery could replace the use of traditional batteries in devices such as smart watches, heart rate monitors or medical sensors, allowing constant monitoring without relying on frequent charging.
Laura García Carmona, head of the project, explained that this biobattery generates 3.5 volts of energy , enough to power several portable devices. The key to the development lies in the optimization of flexible electrodes that have been chemically treated to capture and convert the energy of the lactate present in sweat. This advance represents an important innovation in biobattery technology, which until now focused on glucose, a less accessible molecule.
Challenges and solutions in the use of biobatteries in textiles
One of the biggest challenges the development team faced was ensuring the durability of the biobattery during washing. According to the researchers, the electrodes, which can also function as biosensors , have proven to be resistant to delicate washing. The next challenge will be to improve their durability so that the garments can be washed without affecting their functionality.
The presentation was attended by Ignacio Casado, communications director of ITE, and Joel Gambin, medical director of Levante UD, who highlighted the importance of this project for the future of wearable devices in professional sport.
The prototype presented is not only functional, but also economically viable. The materials used are affordable and align with the principles of the circular economy , facilitating its scalability at a commercial level. This aspect was underlined during the presentation, which also included a wristband equipped with sensors that measured muscle fatigue.
It is important to highlight that the project has had the collaboration of companies such as MySphera, BIOBEE, Lurbel, and Gnesis EMS, highlighting the intersectoral cooperation in the development of sustainable and innovative technology.
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Source and photos: ITE