Originally published August 30 2005
Singapore researchers develop urine-powered battery
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Researchers at Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology have developed a battery that can supply electricity on contact with biofluids such as urine, MSNBC reports.
Scientists have developed a way to turn pee into electricity.
And there's plenty where that came from, they point out.
Cheap, disposable, and renewable, urine-powered batteries may be the perfect power source for disposable healthcare test kits called biochips, the researchers say.
"We are striving to develop cheap, disposable credit card-sized biochips for disease detection," said battery developer Ki Bang Lee.
"Our battery can be easily integrated into such devices, supplying electricity upon contact with biofluids such as urine."
Scientists around the world are clamoring to design inexpensive biochips to quickly test for a variety of diseases.
Lee and his team of researchers at Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology have tackled this problem by using the very substance being tested --- urine --- to power the test.
When a drop of urine is added to the copper chloride paper, a chemical reaction takes place and produces electricity, which is harnessed by the battery.
A few drops will generate about 1.5 volts, the same as a AA battery.
The battery needs to be developed further to make it commercially viable.
"Our urine-activated battery would be integrated into biochip systems for healthcare diagnostic applications," Lee said.
Lee and his team also found that they could alter the battery's performance --- voltage, power, or duration --- by adjusting the design or materials.
The chemical composition of urine indicates a person's general health and is widely used in diagnostic tests.
For instance, doctors measure the concentration of the sugar glucose to determine whether someone is diabetic.
Lee predicts that one day people will be able to monitor their own health at home using biochips powered by this type of battery.
"These fully-integrated biochip systems have a huge market potential," Lee said.
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