A team of scientists led by Matsuhiko Nishizawa, at Tohoku University, have developed a fuel cell that runs on blood without using toxic substances, opening the way for use in artificial hearts and other organs.

The biological fuel cell relies glucose, a sugar in blood, with a non-toxic substance to draw electrons from glucose. While most other bio-fuel cells under study use a metal complex, the new electron mediator is based on Vitamin K3, already present in the body, it is thus safer and could in the future generate power from blood as an implant-type fuel cell.

The newly developed cell is the size of a tiny coin and can generate 0,2 milliwatts of electricity, enough to power a device that measures blood sugar level and transmits data elsewhere.

(Via IOL News).