IIT KGP and South Korea researchers jointly develop smart

A team of scientists from IIT Kharagpur and South Korea have together developed a eco-friendly smart device powered by energy from spider silk web instead of conventional battery.

The project was funded by Union Department of Science & Technology (DST) and National Research Foundation of Korea.

Scientists at IIT KGP, along with a team of researchers from South Korea's POSTECH developed the device, an IIT KGP statement said here today.

The innovation was led by the research group of Prof B.B. Khatua, with his research student Sumanta Kumar Karan at IIT KGP, in collaboration with Prof. Jin Kon Kim and Dr. Sandip Maiti (post-doctoral researcher and former PhD student of Prof. Khatua) from POSTECH (Pohang University of Science And Technology), it said.

Khatua said various biomedical applications and devices require a continuous energy source.

As the new device will be self-powered, run by energy generated from spider silk fibre, "it will be a better alternative to commercial batteries as continuous energy source," he said.

The new device can monitor minute physiological signals, such as arterial pulse response, he said.

The IIT KGP and POSTECH team collaborated in developing the device, while a team of Prof. Yunseok Kim from SKKU (Sungkyunkwan University), South Korea earlier tested and improvised the energy generating capacity of spider silk fibre.

The instant research work has been published in the global journal 'Nano Energy'.