Abstract
The objective of this work is to investigate the potential use of a thermoelectric generator (TEG) in harvesting human body heat at four body locations namely forehead, wrist, palm and calf for different human activities in Malaysia. Important parameters for this experiment are human body temperature, room temperature, output voltage, output resistance and output power. A healthy male and female perform a series of activities including resting, walking and running for 10 minutes in an indoor setting. Results indicate the relevant effects of temperature and movement on producing power from human body heat. Different parts of the body have different temperatures, thus creating different output powers. Results show that as the movement increases, the human body temperature and the amount of energy harvested also increase. It is also observed that forehead provides the highest amount of power generated during running activity. When the body temperature is above 35 °C, the TEG can generate power more than 5.0 mW. The highest power generated during the experiment is 9.5 mW. Even though Malaysia is known as a hot and humid region, TEGs can be feasibly utilized as a wearable device that converts human heat energy into electrical energy.
Highlights
A thermoelectric generator, TEG, is a solid-state device that can convert thermal energy into electrical energy, which works similar to solar panels
A study by Francioso et al [6] reports that a temperature difference of about 9 °C was obtained across a TEG when it was placed on human body skin while working at a room temperature of 24.8 °C
Since Malaysia is one of the hot and humid regions, it is highly essential for this work to investigate the practical usage of TEG in Malaysia because of the high ambient temperature, causing a small temperature difference between human body and room temperatures
Summary
A thermoelectric generator, TEG, is a solid-state device that can convert thermal energy into electrical energy, which works similar to solar panels. A previous study has shown that thermoelectric generators can be integrated into clothes, connecting the TEG technology with fashion sports equipment such as leg guards, sports tights, wristbands, and headbands [4] Another related work by Myers et al has determined the effects of environmental and human factors on thermal energy generator performance for numerous conditions. Since Malaysia is one of the hot and humid regions, it is highly essential for this work to investigate the practical usage of TEG in Malaysia because of the high ambient temperature, causing a small temperature difference between human body and room temperatures This is a research gap that will be answered in this work. Important parameters that have been taken into accounts are room temperature, human body temperature, human activity, gender, connection modes and output power
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
