Dixon has harnessed a process known as mineral accretion a tool of bioengineering to subject the chairs to low-voltage charges of solar power that encourage the growth of limestone at something close to three times the usual rate.

WSJ: Tom Dixon Makes Things Better

What's interesting about the new design is the two piezoelectric sensors attached to each end -- one of them transfers a low voltage of power through the armor in the form of vibration, which the other picks up, and the reported energy loss is interpreted as armor degradation.

ENGADGET: blogger-avatar

As eardrum vibrations naturally create a usable voltage from brain signals, the prototype can build enough charge in a capacitor to drive a very low-power wireless transmitter that relays the electrochemical properties of the ear and potentially diagnoses balance or hearing problems.

ENGADGET: MIT ear-powered wireless sensor sustains its charge through sound