Glucose-powered fuel cells

MIT researchers have developed a fuel cell that runs on a widely available compound: glucose. And where is glucose found in abundance? Inside the human body. The notion that microelectronics can derive power from the glucose already floating around in our bodies (from the food we eat, keep in mind), is not new, but when researchers last considered glucose-powered-electronics in the 1970s for pacemakers, lithium-ion batteries were a much better option. The implantable silicon fuel cell uses a platinum coating -- platinum is heralded for its biocompatibility -- to strip electrons from glucose molecules using a process similar to that used by your cells to make ATP, the body's energy currency. The MIT device generates hundreds of microwatts of current. Enough, they claim, to power a variety of useful implanted devices, for example neural prosthetics for patients with paralysis. The Sarpeshkar group is renowned for pioneering a variety of low-powered implantable electronics.