Can the Human Body be a Source of Energy Harvesting?—Present and Future Prospective

Abstract

In this era, looking for alternative energy harvesting methods to reduce global warming and conserve natural resources is necessary. Every country has been looking for new renewable energy resources. Human beings can act as a good energy source, from a single heartbeat to every tiny movement or activity of the human body. With bioelectronics and wearable device advancements, energy production from the human body has become a promising research area. Recently, several researchers have been working toward harvesting/producing energy from human beings and trying to translate that into electrical form, which wearable and implantable medical devices could use in the long run. This review article discusses different energy sources and harvesting techniques from the human body. The promising sources for energy harvesting are human movements, such as walking, running, etc., upper-limb movement, heartbeat, heat transmission, and breathing, which helps explore diverse types of energies, such as chemical, thermal, kinetic, mechanical, and other energies that can be harvested from the human body. This review would be helpful for the development of self-sustained implants, wearables, and health-tracking medical devices.