Imagine your clothes powering your ipod, Hmmnnnn sounds interesting right? Well, US researchers have created a nano-fiber textile that harvests energy from movement, paving the way for clothing that could one day power an iPod or other wearable electronic devices.

Using the same mechanical principle as a self-winding watch, but on scale measured in billionths of a meter, tiny nano-generators can scavenge “wasted” energy from sound waves, vibrations, or even the human heart beat. The fibers, developed by a team of scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology led by Zhong Lin Wang, are covered with pairs of zinc oxide nanowires that produce tiny pulses of electricity in response to friction.

“The two fibers scrub together just like two bottle brushes with their bristles touching,” converting the mechanical motion into electrical energy, explained Wang.

“Many of the devices could be put together to produce a higher output,” he said.

This method of generation energy from friction is called the “piezoelectric effect.”

However, there is at least one significant problem before this technology can become part of our daily clothes. Zinc oxide is sensitive to water, which means that clothes made from these fibers could never be washed.

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