PowerSuit

Research at the MIT Media Lab

The PowerSuit is a micro-energy harnessing shirt that functions based on temperature differentials between a persons’ skin and the outside environment. The skin is an activated landscape that can be used for micro-power generation.

The idea is to consider small increments of energy as useful towards a specific purpose such as lighting safety LED's while running at night on cold days. This project is the beginning of an exploration in materials structures that yield micro-power through temperature differentials.

Fundamentally, this is a shift in how people consider energy. Rather than constantly striving for tools and devices that are more powerful and less energy efficient, why not consider using small amounts of energy not typically utilized, and put towards more efficient devices such as LED lighting.