Fuel Cell Powered by Human Bodily Fluids

Posted 12 Nov 2002 at 15:34 UTC by steve

Tired of hearing about robots that digest slugs for power? How about a robot that powers itself by sucking the bodily fluids from humans? Adam Heller and other chemists at the Universty of Texas, Austin have developed a new fuel cell which generates electricity from the glucose-oxygen reaction that occurs in human blood. The actual purpose is fairly benign - powering medical sensors and animal tracking devices. The power output is limited but enough for CMOS devices. A summary of the technical specs (PDF format) for the prototype are available online.

Vampire Bot, posted 12 Nov 2002 at 16:10 UTC by The Swirling Brain » (Master)

I imagine lots of nano bots living off and floating in your blood and to keep your nano bots alive, which ultimately keep you alive, you need an occasional infusion of fresh blood by inserting your fangs into an unsuspecting victim.

Some advantages though, posted 12 Nov 2002 at 21:41 UTC by earlwb » (Master)

The fuel cells to degrade over time, something like 6% per day. So then the nano-bots would have a limited lifespan before their fuel cells quit. Then the body would have to digest, break them down, or expell them somehow. Hummm...sort of like the nano-bots on the "Andromeda" TV show. After they've performed their task, they go away. Of course, if the bots know their power source is going, at a certain point the bots would stop and head for the bladder or intestines or stomach to be digested or excreted.