FOR KIDS: Your head’s battery
Fluids in the inner ear can actually power an electronic device, such as an implant
Web edition: January 18, 2013
Scientists have designed a small electronic circuit (inside the two golden squares) to monitor and use the natural battery in an animal's ear.
Credit: Mercier et al. (2012), Nature Biotechnology
A natural powerhouse in the ear of guinea pigs can run a tiny electronic device, researchers show. Human ears contain that same structure, which operates like a battery. Doctors might one day use this system to power implants. Some might monitor an individual’s blood. Others could dispense medicines.
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