Smart Cloth - a wearable system powered entirely by body heat

Power can be harnessed from untapped natural thermal resources that surround us everywhere, providing low-carbon renewable energy from waste heat, contributing towards NET ZERO. Our own bodies are an ideal energy source for powering low-power internet-of-things devices, such as fitness trackers and medical sensors, which are estimated to reach over 125 billion in number by 2030, all of which will require power. Converting temperature gradients into energy can be done using thermoelectric generators. When scaled to thin films, these generators can be made flexible, and therefore are ideal for integrating into wearable systems as uninterrupted continuous power supplies thus reducing the burden of batteries that consume rare materials and often end up in landfill. Body-powered smartwatches that never require charging and intelligent jackets that regulate soldier's body temperatures on remote deployments could be realised. However, to date, the energy harvesting field has failed to demonstrate any flexible wearable energy harvester that overcomes the limitations of solar, requiring light exposure, and harvesters that rely on continuous movement. Utilising superior materials that are one-molecular layer thick, known as 2D materials, we aim to create a new energy harvesting concept that converts body heat into power, in a fabric form, creating a world-changing 'Smart Cloth'. This adaptable e-textile form can be adapted to a plethora of wearable systems across the clothing, medical, health, defence, fitness and leisure sectors.