Body heat will power bicycle accessories of the near future

Bicycle accessories such as lights, computers and GPS devices could soon be powered by the heat generated by a cyclist’s body heat thanks to technology unveiled today by Fujitsu Laboratories.

There is nothing new about solar-powered cycling devices, but the amount of power harvested is limited. Fujitsu Laboratories has been developing ways of using multiple forms of external energy simultaneously – such as light and heat, or light and vibrations – in order to collect a sufficient amount for practical use.

Fujitsu Laboratories has developed a new hybrid harvesting device manufactured from inexpensive organic materials that captures energy from either light or heat.

Body heat-powered batteries

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “A cycling jacket of the near future could have built-in LED lights, MP3 player or satnav powered entirely by a combination of body heat and solar power.”

Fujitsu Laboratories plans to develop the hybrid devices to increase their performance before they go on sale in 2015.

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