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A wee-ly good idea? 'Socks' containing URINE powered fuel cells generate electricity when a wearer walks

Researchers at UWE developed the 'socks' containing microbial fuel cells
These fuel cells use bacteria to generate electricity from waste fluids
Urine is 'pumped' over the fuel cells by the action of the person walking
Scientists say socks could one day power smartphones, for example

By Sarah Griffiths and Stacy Liberatore For Dailymail.com

Published: 12:42 EST, 11 December 2015 | Updated: 17:28 EST, 11 December 2015

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Researchers have created a pair of 'socks' (pictured) that generate energy when tubes of urine are pumped by the wearer's footsteps

From charging your phone to powering your car, urine is tipped to be a fuel for the future.

Now researchers have created a pair of 'socks' which generate energy when urine is pumped over fuel cells by the wearer's footsteps.

The socks, which contain microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are able to power a wireless transmitter to send a signal to a computer, but the technology could one day power phones and smartwatches, for example.

Scientists at the Bristol BioEnergy Centre at the University of the West of England (UWE) fitted the socks with miniaturised MFCs.

MFCs use bacteria to generate electricity from waste fluids - tapping into the biochemical energy used for microbial growth and converting it directly into electricity.

The 24 individual soft MFCs inside the socks were supplied with fresh urine in soft tubes placed under the heels of the socks

The waste fluid was circulated around by the human operator walking, which creates a 'push-pull' pumping action.

Normally, such systems would rely on a mains powered pump to circulate the urine.

The manual pump was inspired by a simple fish circulatory system and the action of walking caused the urine to pass over the MFCs and generate energy.

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In the experiment, published in the journal Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, the system successfully ran a wireless transmission board, which was able to send the message 'First Wearable MFC' every two minutes to a computer-controlled receiver.

WHAT ARE MICROBIAL FUEL CELLS (MFCs)?

Microbial fuel cells are energy converters that turn organic matter directly into electricity by utilising the metabolism of live micro-organisms.

The electricity is a by-product of the microbes' natural life cycle.

The more they eat things like urine, the more energy they generate and for longer periods of time.

The electricity output of MFCs is relatively small and the researchers are currently only been able to store and accumulate low levels of energy into capacitors for short charge and discharge cycles.

A series of tubes and an insole help use the pumping action produced by someone walking to circulate urine through a series of bacterial fuel cells around the ankle that turn the waste product into electricity (illustrated)

The socks (insoles and tubing pictured), which contain microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are able to power a wireless transmitter to send a signal to a computer, but the technology could one day power phones and smartwatches

SAME TEAM CREATED 'WORLD'S FIRST' URINE-POWERED PHONE

In July 2013, scientists at UWE developed a way of using urine as a power source to generate electricity and created the world's first MFC powered mobile phone.

Dr Ieropoulos said at the time: 'By harnessing this power as urine passes through a cascade of MFCs, we have managed to charge a Samsung mobile phone.'

'...So far the microbial fuel power stack that we have developed generates enough power to enable SMS messaging, web browsing and to make a brief phone call.'

However, he said that making a long call on a mobile phone is far more power hungry.

'Making a call on a mobile phone takes up the most energy, but we will get to the place where we can charge a battery for longer periods.'

It is worth noting that the 'socks' are much lumpier and chunkier than the ones we usually wear and include an insole as well as lots of tubing, valves and the fuel cells.

The 24 individual soft MFCs can hold up to 648 milliliters of urine.

However, Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos, who led the research, said it 'opens up possibilities' for using urine to power wearable devices.

'Having already powered a mobile phone with MFCs using urine as fuel, we wanted to see if we could replicate this success in wearable technology,' he said.

'We also wanted the system to be entirely self-sufficient, running only on human power - using urine as fuel and the action of the foot as the pump.

'This work opens up possibilities of using waste for powering portable and wearable electronics.'

He explained that in the future wearable MFC technology could be used to transmit a person's coordinates in an emergency situation.

'At the same time this would indicate proof of life since the device will only work if the operator's urine fuels the MFCs.'

Scientists say any organic waste could be used in place of urine, turning it into a 'valuable' green technology and an alternative to fossil fuels.

Bristol BioEnergy Centre has recently prototype urinal in partnership with Oxfam that uses pee-power technology to light cubicles in refugee camps.

OTHER USES OF URINE

You can clean your laundry: In ancient Rome, washers used different alkali and ammonia-containing agents, two of which were human and dog urine, to remove dirt from garments.

Make gunpowder: Gunpowder makers would make it out of pee, which contains nitrogen and ammonia.

The reaction of the ammonia with oxygen forms nitrates and when combined with manure, leaves, and potassium-containing ash it can go BOOM!

Whiten your teeth: Ancient Romans used urine to whiten their teeth, as the ammonia would bleach and remove stains.

Sterilize wounds: If produced by health kidneys, urine is sterile.

Treat skin conditions: Urine is not a waste product—in fact, it is about 95-98% water, with the remainder forming a combination of hormones, minerals, and salt.

If you’re not too squeamish, you can treat acne, eczema, and psoriasis.