You may soon be able to charge your battery with your tears.

That’s because researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have developed a flexible battery that is as thin as a human cornea. 

It is flexible enough to be embedded in contact lenses and it can power smart contact lenses for displaying information and health monitoring.

This tiny powerhouse is coated with a glucose oxidase coating that reacts with the sodium and chloride ions in the saline solution surrounding it, while the contained water acts as a conduit for electricity.

Interestingly, the battery could also be powered by human tears as they contain sodium and potassium ions. 

This hair-breadth battery is about 0.5 millimeters thick and can generate a power output of 1.3 microwatts. 10 minutes of charge can last for up to 8 hours. 

Researchers who tested the battery in a simulated human eye found that it was safe and did not cause any irritation.

And while the battery is still in the early stages of development, they believe that it has the potential to revolutionize the field of wearable electronics.

Optimizing the size of batteries opens up a multitude of possibilities for their application, allowing them to power diverse devices like smart contact lenses, medical implants, and fitness trackers.I have discussed some new research in flexible batteries in my previous newsletter as well. These batteries retain 98% capacity even after 5000 bending cycles.

You can read about them here – https://www.greyb.com/communication/gymnasts-of-the-battery-world/

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