Novel low-carbon energy solutions for powering emerging wearables, smart textiles, and medical devices

Abstract

One of the most major agendas to mitigate climate change is the transition to low-carbon energy extraction. Furthermore, developing cutting-edge prototypes for wearable technology, innovative housing, transportation, telecommunications, sophisticated electronics, and other related technologies necessitates the use of clean and readily available energy sources, which has become a fundamental priority. Sentient beings (humans and wildlife) have a variety of biological, mechanical, and thermal energy sources. Using the energy from these sources might be a viable way to circumvent the increasing electricity demand. This study looks at a variety of low-carbon-emitting energy capture materials, methods, and approaches that have recently been applied for solar, wind, hydrogen, mechanoelectrical, and biological response. Furthermore, this article discusses the proven approaches for harvesting energy from human bodies for self-powered gadgets. We provide material considerations, system topologies, and functioning concepts for these power extractors, with an emphasis on low-carbon solutions. We investigate various power sources placed in or on pre-existing and anthropological models. We conclude the review by emphasising the significance of merging various energy extractors with cutting-edge circuitry, which provides a new foundation for developing creative designs for self-powered electronics in healthcare and textiles.