Department News
ME research team of prof. Ko Seung Hwan developed electronic skin for temperature control and power generation for underwater w
Author
익명
Date
2022-05-06
Views
491
According to Seoul National University Mechanical Engineering, a research team led by professor Ko Seung Hwan, developed electronic skin that can control body temperature and produce self-power according to user needs.
Recently, deep-sea development, since deep-sea military operations, or deep-sea rescue operations caused by large-scale maritime accidents have frequently occurred, and situations where long-term underwater work has frequently occurred. Due to the temperature lower than the atmosphere in water, it can cause a problem of hypothermia to the operator when working for a long time. In addition, thick diving suits made of neoprene can often cause problems with hyperthermia in workers. For safe long-term underwater work, it is necessary to maintain the worker's body temperature and continuously monitor the worker's bio-signal.
The research team developed new electronic skin attached to connected a neoprene dry suit - it usually makes power for detecting a diver's ECG, posture, and position, and if there is hypothermia or hyperthermia, it helps to maintain diver's homeostasis.
Recent advances in soft electronic device technology have enabled a wide range of applications to support various underwater activities. Current underwater electronics power supplies have relied mainly rigid and bulky battery forms, so there are technical difficulties in supporting substantial underwater physical activity or underwater naval operations. Accordingly, leading researchers at domestic and abroad have been devoted to developing wearable devices that can produce self-power without interfering with the movement of the body.
The research team focused the thermal difference between body temperature and water temperature for power generation in water. The research team developed a flexible and soft thermoelectric device-based electronic skin that can be attached to the skin, allowing it to produce electrical energy from a large temperature difference between the surrounding seawater and the diver's body. In addition, the body temperature of the diver may be maintained constant by cooling or heating through the same element.
Here, the thermoelectric element refers to an element that converts thermal energy and electrical energy. That is, a current flows due to a potential difference caused by a temperature difference (Zebec effect), or the contrary, cooling or heating is possible in accordance with the direction of the applied current. (Peltier effect)
Power produced by temperature differences between water and body temperature is a continuous power supply for detecting bio-signals of divers operating underwater for a long time, allowing users to see their current state in real time through ECG sensors, inertial sensors (for posture measurement), and water pressure sensors (for depth measurement). In addition, in order to perform continuous cooling and heating, which is another function of underwater electronic skin (body temperature control mode), a heat sink must be mounted a thermoelectric device. The surrounding seawater serves as a natural infinite heat sink, thereby facilitating the temperature control of the diver.
These electronic skin for underwater rescue platforms are expected to safely guarantee long-lasting rescue activities for divers. The researchers detected bio-movement-related signals through self-generation in actual underwater situations, and confirmed that body temperature can also be kept constant in various thermal situations.
Professor Ko Seung-hwan said, "We expect this achievement to provide valuable assets and insights into the development of future underwater electronic and energy harvesting technologies to facilitate human underwater activities. And we expect it to be used notly in water but also in various extreme high and low temperature environments to increase the safety of workers.
The results of the study received great attention worldwide and were publishedline January 31, 2022 in the journal Nano Energy, a renowned academic journal in the field of energy. (Soft multi-modal thermoelectric skin for dual functionality of underwater energy harvesting and thermoregulation)
[Original text : https://eng.snu.ac.kr/node/20921]
Recently, deep-sea development, since deep-sea military operations, or deep-sea rescue operations caused by large-scale maritime accidents have frequently occurred, and situations where long-term underwater work has frequently occurred. Due to the temperature lower than the atmosphere in water, it can cause a problem of hypothermia to the operator when working for a long time. In addition, thick diving suits made of neoprene can often cause problems with hyperthermia in workers. For safe long-term underwater work, it is necessary to maintain the worker's body temperature and continuously monitor the worker's bio-signal.
The research team developed new electronic skin attached to connected a neoprene dry suit - it usually makes power for detecting a diver's ECG, posture, and position, and if there is hypothermia or hyperthermia, it helps to maintain diver's homeostasis.
Recent advances in soft electronic device technology have enabled a wide range of applications to support various underwater activities. Current underwater electronics power supplies have relied mainly rigid and bulky battery forms, so there are technical difficulties in supporting substantial underwater physical activity or underwater naval operations. Accordingly, leading researchers at domestic and abroad have been devoted to developing wearable devices that can produce self-power without interfering with the movement of the body.
The research team focused the thermal difference between body temperature and water temperature for power generation in water. The research team developed a flexible and soft thermoelectric device-based electronic skin that can be attached to the skin, allowing it to produce electrical energy from a large temperature difference between the surrounding seawater and the diver's body. In addition, the body temperature of the diver may be maintained constant by cooling or heating through the same element.
Here, the thermoelectric element refers to an element that converts thermal energy and electrical energy. That is, a current flows due to a potential difference caused by a temperature difference (Zebec effect), or the contrary, cooling or heating is possible in accordance with the direction of the applied current. (Peltier effect)
Power produced by temperature differences between water and body temperature is a continuous power supply for detecting bio-signals of divers operating underwater for a long time, allowing users to see their current state in real time through ECG sensors, inertial sensors (for posture measurement), and water pressure sensors (for depth measurement). In addition, in order to perform continuous cooling and heating, which is another function of underwater electronic skin (body temperature control mode), a heat sink must be mounted a thermoelectric device. The surrounding seawater serves as a natural infinite heat sink, thereby facilitating the temperature control of the diver.
These electronic skin for underwater rescue platforms are expected to safely guarantee long-lasting rescue activities for divers. The researchers detected bio-movement-related signals through self-generation in actual underwater situations, and confirmed that body temperature can also be kept constant in various thermal situations.
Professor Ko Seung-hwan said, "We expect this achievement to provide valuable assets and insights into the development of future underwater electronic and energy harvesting technologies to facilitate human underwater activities. And we expect it to be used notly in water but also in various extreme high and low temperature environments to increase the safety of workers.
The results of the study received great attention worldwide and were publishedline January 31, 2022 in the journal Nano Energy, a renowned academic journal in the field of energy. (Soft multi-modal thermoelectric skin for dual functionality of underwater energy harvesting and thermoregulation)
[Original text : https://eng.snu.ac.kr/node/20921]
