Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Innovative Energy Source: Add You to the List

By Jack Uldrich – Updated Apr 5, 2017 at 10:04PM

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More

Did you join a gym to power up your iPod tunes or muscle tone?

As the famous American philosopher Yogi Berra said, "The future ain't what it used to be."

Don't believe him? I'd like to walk you through a couple of the week's more noteworthy scientific and technological breakthroughs and explain how they could affect your portfolio sooner than you might expect.

Your new power shirt
You've heard of the power tie -- perhaps you've also heard of the nanotechnology ties from Brooks Brothers. They're coated with nanomaterials from Nano-Tex and are stain-resistant. Thanks to nanotechnology, you might soon be adding power shoes, shirts, and baseball caps to your wardrobe.

How so, you ask? Innovative researchers at Georgia Tech have announced that they have made an important step forward in creating fabrics that generate power from the wearer's movement.

The most immediate application is that Nike (NYSE: NKE) -- already partners with Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) on the Nike + iPod shoe -- might soon power electronic devices from a new source: you. Imagine never running out of power for your cellphone or laptop because those devices replenish themselves from your movements.

More exciting applications of this technology will power up the medical device industry, where companies such as Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) and Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) might produce pacemakers and biological sensors capable of using the movement of blood or muscles as sources of power. Patients would not have to replace chemical batteries in their medical devices.

Put a lid on that tailpipe
In another exciting development from Georgia Tech, researchers are working to develop a technology to capture, store, and eventually recycle carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from automobiles.

If the problem of automobiles contributing CO2 emissions could be solved, then some of the environmental advantages of hybrid automobiles that Toyota (NYSE: TM) and General Motors (NYSE: GM) are pursuing so aggressively could be minimized.

I'm not implying that the future for hybrids is bleak, but I'd caution investors to stay abreast of this and other carbon-capture technologies because they could provide a little spark to the old internal combustion engine.

Nanotechnology + carbon capture
In a breakthrough that combines advances in both nanotechnology and carbon capture technology, researchers at UCLA have developed a nanomaterial that can soak up CO2 at a level equal to 80 times its volume. And this at a fraction of the cost of today's expensive CO2 capture technology, which is widely employed by the coal-powered electricity-generation business.

As an added benefit, these nanomaterials, which are similar to those already in production at BASF, might only be two or three years away from widespread commercialization.

It is easy to think that emerging technologies will adversely affect only stodgy old industries such as textiles, automobiles, and coal, but this week's advances suggest otherwise.

To paraphrase Yogi Berra: The future might not be what it used to be, but it might look a lot like today.

Interested in finding the next big advance in technology? Consider a subscription to the Motley Fool Rule Breakers newsletter. You can sign up for a no-obligation, 30-day free trial.

Fool contributor Jack Uldrich's latest book is Jump the Curve: 50 Strategies for Helping Companies Deal with Emerging Technologies. He owns stock in Boston Scientific. The Fool has a strict disclosure policy.

Invest Smarter with The Motley Fool

Join Over 1 Million Premium Members Receiving…

  • New Stock Picks Each Month
  • Detailed Analysis of Companies
  • Model Portfolios
  • Live Streaming During Market Hours
  • And Much More
Get Started Now

Stocks Mentioned

Apple Inc. Stock Quote
Apple Inc.
AAPL
$150.43 (-1.51%) $-2.31
Toyota Motor Corporation Stock Quote
Toyota Motor Corporation
TM
$137.28 (-1.27%) $-1.77
General Motors Company Stock Quote
General Motors Company
GM
$35.48 (-5.08%) $-1.90
Medtronic plc Stock Quote
Medtronic plc
MDT
$82.66 (-1.08%) $0.90
Boston Scientific Corporation Stock Quote
Boston Scientific Corporation
BSX
$38.90 (-1.02%) $0.40
NIKE, Inc. Stock Quote
NIKE, Inc.
NKE
$97.02 (-1.55%) $-1.53

*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.

Related Articles

Motley Fool Returns

Motley Fool Stock Advisor

Market-beating stocks from our award-winning analyst team.

Stock Advisor Returns
329%
 
S&P 500 Returns
106%

Calculated by average return of all stock recommendations since inception of the Stock Advisor service in February of 2002. Returns as of 09/24/2022.

Discounted offers are only available to new members. Stock Advisor list price is $199 per year.

Premium Investing Services

Invest better with The Motley Fool. Get stock recommendations, portfolio guidance, and more from The Motley Fool's premium services.