Silicone implants that generate electricity
US boffins funded by shadowy federal authorities allege they've produced a new kind of silicone implant that can generate electrical power from the motions of the bodily area in which it is localised. The fresh technology, developed at Princeton University in the States, necessitates adding piezo-electric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) to silicone, producing a material which generates electricity when squeezed, crushed or tilted. "Because the silicone is biocompatible, it is already used for cosmetic implants," note the Princeton engineers. "Natural body movements [could] power pacemakers, mobile phones and other electronic devices." "The new electricity-harvesting devices could be implanted in the body to power devices perpetually, and the body wouldn't reject them," adds Michael McAlpine, Princeton engineering prof. "As we get better at making these chips, we'll be able to make [the power units] larger and larger." Accurate exe...