It would seem the gadget-enthusiast of the future will look much like the borg. As we've reported on Absolute Gadget, knee-braces have been developed that will charge up you iPod as you pop to the shops, now "smart clothes" aim to do pretty much the same thing by harnessing the power generated by movements of the body.

According to an article in science mag Nature, a gang of US boffins have invented fibres that turn kinetic energy into electrical energy.

Speaking to BBC News, Professor Zhong Lin Wang of the Georgia Institute of Technology and one of the inventors said: "Our goal is to make self-powered nanotechnology. Airflows, vibrations - all these are mechanical energy that we can harvest to power devices."

Now here's the science part - textile fibers covered with zinc oxide nanowires generate electricity in response to applied mechanical stress (i.e. movement). This phenomenon is known as "the piezoelectric effect," the resulting current flow from many fiber pairs woven into a shirt or jacket could allow the wearer's body movement to power many electronic devices. You could even put these fibres in curtains, tents or other structures to capture energy from wind motion, sound vibration or other mechanical energy.

"The two fibers scrub together just like two bottle brushes with their bristles touching, and the piezoelectric-semiconductor process converts the mechanical motion into electrical energy," said Wang. "Many of these devices could be put together to produce higher power output."

Unfortunately, zinc oxide doesn't do too well in the washing machine, so it could be a while before you throw away your chargers just yet.

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