In recent years, engineers have been trying to identify new technologies to sustainably generate and store energy. One promising solution leverages the energy produced by osmosis when two fluids with a different salt concentration meet, such as when a freshwater body (e.g., a river) flows into a saltwater body (e.g., the sea).
The energy produced by differences in salt concentration, known as salinity gradient or osmotic energy, has proved very difficult to turn into portable electrical energy in a practical and scalable way. Utilizing this process to power consumer electronics, such as smartwatches and smartbands, thus so far appears impracticable.
