Thermoelectric energy harvester on the heated human machine

Thermal properties of humans were studied in the case where a relatively small energy harvester is placed on the body. In such a case, the human body serves as a natural heat supply for wearable thermopiles. The study shows that relevant local body properties such as skin temperature and heat flow essentially change because of the thermal properties of the energy harvester. It is shown in the experiment that the thermal resistance of a human depends on heat flow, i.e. on the thermal properties of a thermoelectric generator (TEG) placed in contact with the skin. High thermal resistance of the human body, in turn, essentially affects the TEG design. The analysis of a wearable TEG, in particular the thin one, is performed. It shows that wearable energy harvesters could reach competitive performance characteristics for successfully replacing batteries in low-power wearable electronics.