https://j.people.com.cn/n3/2026/0203/c95952-20422094.html
A professor at Qingdao University in Shandong Province has developed a groundbreaking system that generates electricity when people blink, supplying power to glasses that allow patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to control their wheelchairs simply by moving their eyes.
With conventional eye tracking devices, patients who wanted to operate a wheelchair and move around had to wear a heavy device on their head and be connected to a long electrical cord. Furthermore, alarms of low battery levels did discouraging patients from moving around on their own.
The eye tracking system of the team generates and supplies electricity by attaching dimethylpolysiloxane (PDMS) to the surface of the user’s eyeball like a contact lens, creating a “micro-friction generator.” When the user blinks or moves their eyeball, friction occurs between the eyeball and PDMS, continuously generating electricity.
In an eyeglass frame worn by the user, transparent electrodes made of indium tin oxide are embedded, acting as a transducer. The transparent electrodes precisely track the distribution and changes of electric charge through electrostatic induction and convert it into a recognizable electrical signal in real time. This signal is then transmitted to an external device via a control circuit, ultimately enabling highly precise control.
Before this technology can leave the lab and be widely applied, however, a series of hurdles must be overcome for industrialization.
An illustration of controlling a wheelchair through blinking and eye movements (photo courtesy of interviewee).
