Scientists Discover How to Charge Your Phone by Clapping or Dancing
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![Scientists Discover How to Charge Your Phone by Clapping or Dancing](https://nextshark.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/technology-e1519181986639.jpg?width=1536&auto_optimize=medium&quality=85)
![Ryan General](https://nextshark.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/ns.jpg?width=128&auto_optimize=medium&quality=85)
By Ryan General
Scientists have now found a way to power future gadgets just by clapping or even dancing.
![](https://nextshark.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/giphy-8.gif?width=1536&auto_optimize=medium&quality=85)
The new green energy technology is based on triboelectricity, which allows users to generate their own electricity through motion and vibrations.
![](https://nextshark.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/211-3.jpg?width=1536&auto_optimize=medium&quality=85)
Asian American researchers from Clemson’s Nanomaterials Institute (CNI) created the ultra-simple triboelectric nanogenerator or, U-TENG, back in 2017.
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U-TENG is a tiny device made of plastic and tape that generates electricity when the two materials are brought together.
![](https://nextshark.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/19-2.jpg?width=1536&auto_optimize=medium&quality=85)
The electrical energy produced by clapping hands or tapping feet is detected by a wired, external circuit and then stored in a capacitor or a battery.
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The invention now also has a wireless version called the W-TENG, which uses utilizes a combination of Teflon and a multi-part fiber containing the ultra-thin material graphene.
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W-TENG, which has a maximum capacity of 3,000 volts, is able to generate an electric field that can transmit energy to up to 3 meters.
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“It cannot only give you energy, but you can use the electric field also as an actuated remote,” Sai Sunil Mallineni, the study’s author noted. “For example, you can tap the W-TENG and use its electric field as a ‘button’ to open your garage door, or you could activate a security system — all without a battery, passively and wirelessly.”
While the research team is currently working on finding a more environmentally-friendly alternative to Teflon, they are already in talks with industrial partners to develop practical applications of the technology.
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