Researchers in the UK have created a 3D printed robotic heart that uses urine as its fuel source.
While many might be repulsed by the idea of a heart that pumps urine, have no fear – the robotic heart is designed for use in robots, not humans.
In a paper published in the journal Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, researchers at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) detail how their robotic heart will use microbial fuel cells to generate energy from urine.
According to the paper, the heart’s microbial fuel cell can function completely autonomously and convert waste to energy by leveraging the appetite of live microbes. Once the microbes come into contact with urine they begin consuming waste and the heart’s fuel cell starts converting bio-chemical energy into electricity.
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