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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

A magnetic patch on a twitchy arm makes a useful current

Scientists have developed a material whose magnetic properties change when it’s deformed — and that is also soft enough to respond to small movements.
Close up of two hands twisting and scrunching a flexible circuit covered in beads of liquid.

The movement of tiny magnetic particles in this bendable patch can create an electrical current. Credit: Jun Chen/UCLA

As a hand gently taps a table-top, a soft device stuck to the elbow can generate enough electricity to power a wearable thermometer1.

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Nature 598, 239 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02680-7

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