The human body a gift of god still holds mysteries which are being unraveled one at a time. Human Ear mechanics is the technology that NASA is hoping to garner information from. It is experimenting with a substance found in the human ear that could be used to power space exploration.
The outer hair cells in the human ear, uses the natural electrical force all humans generate to move hairs and amplify sound. This is made possible by a protein called prestin that coats these hair.
Although each prestin protein can only produce tiny amounts of electricity, researchers hope to meld large numbers and build “power skins” so that astronauts could generate their own electrical power.
A research group at bioelectic technology firm IntAct Labs has found a way to reverse the protein so that movement can be used to generate electrical power.
However, prestin can also work in reverse, producing electrical charges in response to mechanical stresses, such as tiny vibrations. Each protein is only capable of making nanowatts of electricity, but Matthew Silver and Kranthi Vistakula, both of IntAct Labs, believe that many proteins used together may be able to power small devices or help charge a battery.
Since these skins will be made from biological substance, if damaged they will be able to regenerate. Providing enough electricity to run a ship and its spacesuit systems is a major impediment to space travel and exploration. These self healing suits might just be a boon for space travel.
Source: IT Week
