It is possible to generate energy from the body using 6G signals

Your body could become a battery for wearable devices thanks to a breakthrough in harvesting waste energy from 6G wireless communications networks.

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, US, discovered that the radio frequency (RF) energy emitted from visible light communication (VLC) , if used for 6G transmission, can be collected by small, cheap copper coils and transmitted to power other devices through the human body.

Copper coils and the human body can harvest excess energy from 6G wireless networks. (Photo: Oscar Wong).

6G is a future wireless communications technology that is currently under development and is expected to be deployed before the end of this decade.

At the core of this mechanism lies VLC—a technology that transmits data via ultrafast visible light beams from sources like LEDs. VLC is a method by which 6G signals could theoretically be transmitted in the future. But LEDs also emit side-channel RF signals, in the form of leaked energy. The researchers found that this energy can be collected using coiled copper wires, which have enhanced energy recycling efficiency when in contact with human skin.

According to research, skin contact increases effectiveness by up to 10 times compared to using the coil alone. The human body has also proven that the coil's ability to amplify leaked radio energy is better than wood, plastic, cardboard or steel.

Body battery

From there, the researchers created the 'Bracelet+' — a simple copper coil that can be worn on the wrist. The design could also be adapted to be worn as a necklace, anklet, or ring, although the scientists found that the bracelet could be both a good energy collector and a wearable.

' This design is extremely cheap – less than fifty cents (half a US dollar) ,' the study authors said. 'But Bracelet+ can reach microwatts, enough to support many sensors such as on-body health monitors, requiring little power to operate due to its low sampling rate and long sleep time.'

Such technology could solve the problem of limited battery life on wearables. Even highly regarded smartwatches, like the Apple Watch, tend to need charging almost daily, which can reduce their usefulness unless charging is part of a person's daily routine. And now, as smart bands become more popular, even more devices need to be recharged regularly.

The energy harvesting technology supported by the Bracelet+ could therefore become a form of on-the-spot charger for next-generation wearables, provided, of course, that those devices have a way to draw power from the bracelet. Furthermore, this relies on 6G networks using VLC , which are still a long way off, let alone being widely adopted and integrated into consumer or industrial devices.

"We want to be able to harvest waste energy from any source to power future technology," said study lead author Jie Xiong, professor of computer and information sciences at UMass Amherst .