Robust, flexible thermoelectric coils power miniature devices

Though thin film thermoelectrics have been of research interest for the last decade, scientists have struggled to develop them into solid-state devices in practical geometries due to the difficulty of maintaining a temperature gradient across films. Still, interest remains high as researchers pursue efficient, unobtrusive power sources for wearable technology and small medical devices. The thermoelectrics research group at Northwestern University presents a solution to this problem – turn the planar 2D energy harvester into a helical 3D coil.