A new device called Power Felt, developed by a team of researchers in the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials is the latest discovery in thermoelectric technology. Comprised of tiny carbon nanotubes locked up in flexible plastic fibers and made to feel like fabric, Power Felt uses temperature differences -- room temperature versus body temperature, for instance -- to create a charge. Potential uses for Power Felt include lining automobile seats to boost battery power and service electrical needs, insulating pipes or collecting heat under roof tiles to lower gas or electric bills, lining clothing or sports equipment to monitor performance or wrapping IV or wound sites to better track patients’ medical needs. Scientists are already evaluating several ways to add more nanotube layers and make them even thinner to boost the power output. Currently, Wake Forest is in talks with investors to produce Power Felt commercially.