Tracking your daily physical activity could be as easy as putting on a pair of socks . Self-charging socks that are powered by your steps can monitor walking patterns and could also power wearable devices.

The socks are coated in a material that conducts electricity. Contact between them and either the floor or a pair of shoes creates a small electrical current from static electricity.

The energy generated can then either be stored or used to supply other wearable devices, says Minglu Zhu at the National University of …