The idea of using clothes to charge your mobile phone

US scientists are developing the idea of turning everyday clothes into cell phone chargers.

Trisha Andrews, a materials scientist at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, is in charge of transforming clothes into cell phone chargers powered by the energy of the human body, according to Quartz.

Scientists hope to soon be able to create products from conductive polymer fiber to charge the smartphone. (AP).

The scientists coated a layer of polymer about 1/10 the diameter of human hair to 14 types of fibers such as cotton, linen, silk ... by chemical vapor deposition. This process turns the fabric into an electrode, which is capable of transmitting the current generated when the fiber is rubbed by human movement.

According to Andrew, with polymer-coated fibers, scientists can create a few microwatts of electricity, enough to illuminate LEDs. The conductivity is not affected when the fibers are rubbed, folded or washed, except when exposed to hot water. "We are not currently able to charge the smartphone with this method but hopefully it will become a reality someday," Andrew said.

Using fiber for commercial purposes is not feasible. Cost is an obstacle that Andrew and his colleagues have to overcome as the chemical vapor deposition method is costly and poses a number of technical challenges.