A team of researchers headed by Professor Seokheun Choi at Binghamton University has transformed simple office paper into a nickel and carbon based bio-battery. The battery can be used to power paper-based biosensors already being used to detect disease.
The paper battery is condensed down to the size of a matchbox using the Japanese art of paper folding, origami. The device costs Five US cents to make, making it an accessible tool in conjunction with other paper-based technology. The cost and capability make it a perfect tool for “anyone working in remote areas with limited resources.”
Bacteria collected from a drop of dirty water activates the battery, the energy produced by this smart device is enough to power the biosensors needed out in the medic field of remote regions of the developing world.
Professor Choi literally had a lightbulb moment when he connected one of the first versions of his biobattery, “I connected four of the devices in series, and I lit up this small LED. At that moment, I knew I had done it!”
The biobattery will be created on mass and rolled out into medical and health care fields in the next three years.
Video: Origami Paper-based biobattery – folding steps (by H. Lee)
Bioelectronics and Microsystems Lab at Binghamton University
