This work shows experimentally how electrical energy can be harvested directly from cell membrane potential and used to power a wireless communication. The experiment is performed by exploiting the membrane potential of Xenopus oocytes taken from female frogs. Electrical potential energy of the membrane is transferred to a capacitor connected to the cell via a proper electrical circuit. Once the capacitor has reached the planned amount of energy, the circuit is disconnected from the cell and the stored energy is used to power a radio frequency communication that carries bio-sensed information to a distanced receiving circuit. Our result shows that electrical energy can be harvested directly from biological cells and used for a number of purposes, including wireless communication of sensed biological quantities to a remote receiving hub.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1808.07000,
title = {Energy Harvesting from a bio cell},
author = {L. Catacuzzeno and F. Orfei and A. Di Michele and L. Sforna and F. Franciolini and L. Gammaitoni},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1808.07000},
year = {2018}
}