For the first time, scientists have successfully implanted a biofuel cell that generates power from glucose inside a body—an everlasting battery you could theoretically recharge by eating a Snickers bar.
A team from Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble, France, implanted two rats’ abdominal cavities with these biofuel cells, which manage to generate power from glucose and oxygen through the help of enzymes. Their engineering feat was to contain these enzymes, which require conditions too acidic for bodies, in graphite discs placed into dialysis bags—allowing glucose and oxygen in but no enzymes out.
Of the two tested devices, the peak output was 6.5 microwatts. That might not sound like a lot, but you only need 10 microwatts to power a pacemaker. [Technology Review via Slashdot]
