---
title: "Clever Device Generates Electricity From Thin Air"
description: "A team of scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have come up with a clever device that can generate electricity from air moisture."
date: "2020-02-18"
modified: "2020-02-18"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/generates-electricity-air"
categories:
  - "Computing"
  - "Devices"
  - "Robots and Machines"
tags:
  - "electricity"
  - "microbes"
  - "the digest"
---

# Clever Device Generates Electricity From Thin Air

![A team of scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have come up with a clever device that can generate electricity from air moisture.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/generates-electricity-air.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: UMass Amherst/Yao and Lovley\</em\>*

## Thin Air

A team of scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have come up with [a clever device they dubbed the "air-gen](<https://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/article/new-green-technology-umass-amherst>)," which can generate electricity from moisture found in air. According to the team, their discovery could revolutionize green energy by offering some key advantages over other renewable source including sun or wind energy.

"We are literally making electricity out of thin air," electrical engineer Jun Yao, co-author of [the paper](<https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2010-9>) appearing in the journal *Nature* today, said in [a statement](<https://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/article/new-green-technology-umass-amherst>). "The Air-gen generates clean energy 24/7."

## Geobacter

A naturally occurring microbe called Geobacter produces electrically conductive protein nanowires. By tapping these nanowires using electrodes, the device can effectively generate an electrical current from moisture — enough to power small electronics in its current form.

The scientists suspect the charge is caused by protons diffusing along the nanowires, as noted in their paper.

"A maintained moisture gradient, which is fundamentally different to anything seen in previous systems, explains the continuous voltage output from our nanowire device," they wrote.

## Patch Day

But before scaling up their current design, the team is planning to develop small air-gen "patches" that can power wearable devices or smartphones.

"The ultimate goal is to make large-scale systems," Yao said in the statement. "For example, the technology might be incorporated into wall paint that could help power your home. Or, we may develop stand-alone air-powered generators that supply electricity off the grid."

**READ MORE:** [Scientists Built a Genius Device That Generates Electricity 'Out of Thin Air'](<https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-generate-electricity-out-of-thin-air-with-device-that-runs-on-humidity>) \[*Science Alert*\]

**More on renewable energy:** *[This Team Wants to Capture Unlimited Energy From Inside the Earth](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/capture-unlimited-energy-inside-earth>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)