Origami entered Japan in 6th
century. Initially it was intended for religious ceremonies, but now it has
evolved into contemporary art. In this modern era origami even gives
inspiration to many people in creating sophisticated peripheral devices, such
as the Harvard's folding robot and J-Flex battery.
The next origami-themed creation
is revealed by Seokheun ‘Sean’ Choi, an engineer from Binghamton University.
His latest work has the same concept as J-Flex, both of them are folding
batteries. The difference lies on the energy accumulation method. This battery
is not charged through a conventional approach. Sean Choi manages to find a
charging technique by using bacteria, and the more interestingly is this
battery is so economical.
Bacteria are used to generate
power from the metabolic system, presenting on-board energy into the paper
battery design. User can use all kinds of liquid containing 'germs', the
dirtier the more powerful, such as the pool water, sewage, and even septic
tank. This approach is very smart since the source of dirty liquid is available
everywhere in abundance.
Paper is also an important
component for Choi's origami battery. Paper is easily found everywhere,
economical, easy to manufacture, and recyclable. Furthermore, paper can absorb
water effectively without the need for injection via its tiny capillary pipes.
The result of bacterial respiration will react with carbon substances and
nickel electrode cells there. The origami design itself aims to allow the
battery to be stacked in three-dimensional structures.
The battery cell doesn't produce
big energy, only in microwatt size, and it is not intended to run mobile
devices or wearable devices. Actually Choi creates this battery to complete the
paper-based biosensor technology that's being developed. Choi has a vision to use
the biosensor to help people avoid the disease, especially in countries that
have less access to modern medicines.
The paper-based biosensor system
is not a new concept, other scientists have explored this concept for quite
long, but generally they require handheld devices. Different from them, origami
battery that's made by Choi doesn't have additional electronic circuitry to
function.
This unique idea gets a very
positive response from many parties, even the National Science Foundation
awards money almost $ 300,000 to help Choi to continue his research. How
economical is this origami battery? It’s only five cents per unit.