A simple tap from your finger may be enough to charge your portable device, thanks to a  discovery by Australian National University researchers, using piezoelectric thin films.

The technology could allow for an iPad that recharges every time you press the screen, or a pacemaker powered by your own blood pressure.

Ref.: Madhu Bhaskaran, et al., Energy Materials: Nanoscale Characterization of Energy Generation from Piezoelectric Thin Films, Advanced Functional Materials, first published online: June 16, 2011, [DOI: 10.1002/adfm.20119004112/2011]