Researchers at Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, have developed a thin rubber-like film that generates electricity if stretched and compressed.

This might be the best Swiss invention since the zipper… or velcro, the vegetable peeler, bobsledding (Cool Runnings Mon!), Cellophane or doodle.com, or even the Internet . Yes, all of those are Swiss made. Swiss Miss hot chocolate however, surprisingly is not. Anyway, back to stress induced electricity generation.

How Does it Work?

How we picture it working… just think about work for 3 seconds…1, 2, 3, and…

First, no. Just no. We wish, but no.  It doesn’t use that kind of stress directly.  Read on!

The KIND of stress you’ve got probably doesn’t produce much more than anxiety and tears. We’re talking about the word stress in the world of physics, but the applications of this emerging new technology can help you transform your stress and live longer too.

How it Really Works – The Piezoelectric Effect: Good Vibes & Beyond

The rubbery material functions thanks to the piezoelectric effect — a concept on how mechanical movement can generate electricity that can be used elsewhere.

This is the same concept at work in a record player. As the needle reads the grooves of a disc, vibrating the needle, and those good vibes are transformed into electrical impulses which are then turned into sound waves.

How might this help you cash in on your REAL stress or live longer?

First, reducing your stress can reduce your blood pressure and other risk factors that lead to things like heart disease, stroke and heart attack. The events often require expensive long term care. So the things you do to de-stress your life can be good investments.

This new electricity generating film could be worked into buttons, clothing, shoes, robots, or even people. It can be used to monitor activities, record touches, or generate electricity to power medical implants. Here are some interesting possible applications related to stress, health and well-being.

Imagine…

• Using a fidget spinner that generates electricity to charge your phone
• Wearing running shoes or running gear and generating electricity to charge your car. Yeah.
• Flooring that could sense when someone has a fall! This is a major issue that often requires long term care. This technology could be developed with other smart technologies to distinguish a fall and speed up response time of medical response. If you have ageing parents who still live on their own, this can definitely help you with your stress.
• A pacemaker that can help prevent additional heart attacks and doesn’t require a battery. Heart attacks are another big cause that leads to requiring long-term care.
• Imagine tires that generate electricity for your electric car or bike? This could lengthen your max range and those stress reducing road trips.
• A punching bag that delivered electricity to your home, every time you hit it

Getting all that stress out of your system could have its rewards!

This is a potential game changing technology, but it’s not yet available on Amazon prime or anywhere else that we know of for now.  And in the mean-time, we’ll still have to make other plans to see that we live long, live well, and stress free. Put on a record and soak up some good vibes while you’re at it.

If you have questions about long-term care coverage or how NPFBA can help serve you, feel free to reach out to us via our website, phone, email or schedule a zoom meeting and let’s grab some face time!