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Published online 13 February 2008 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2008.572

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Fabric may make the first real power suit

Nanofibres made that produce power when rubbed together.

Katharine Sanderson

Mobile phone battery running out mid-conversation? One day you might be able to make a few vigorous arm movements while wearing a nanowire electricity-generating shirt to keep the battery going.

This is power-dressing in the real sense: nothing to do with shoulder pads or 1980s office dramas.

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  • This sounds fantastic! I am in the US Army. When our unit deploys next year I will be using a lot of devices that are currently powered by batteries. If there were some way low-power devices could be re-charged simply by moving it would mean a soldier would not be in danger simply because of a dead battery. And if the clothes are made of Kevlar, so much the better. Neil Gussman, Philadelphia

    • 13 Feb, 2008
    • Posted by: Neil Gussman

  • That's cool. When I move, my shirt charges my blackberries!

    • 14 Feb, 2008
    • Posted by: Lee Kun Ju