The harvest of thermal energy using the thermoelectric (TE) effect is one of the potential methods for body area network power sources. This paper demonstrates a new approach of an electrochemical deposition process to fabricate self-endurance flexible thermoelectric generators (FTEGs). A novel idea of lateral Y-type TE cells instead of conventional vertical it pi-type cells is proposed to enhance the performance of the temperature harvest. On the other hand, the thick films of thermoelectric materials (N type bismuth telluride and P type- antimony telluride) are successfully synthesized. For the first time, the electrochemical deposition of thermoelectric materials is used to integrate thermoelectric materials with a flexible support, where a silicon substrate is used as a sacrificial material. With the temperature difference between the human body (approximately 37 degrees C) and ambient environment (15 degrees C) using natural convection, the device can generate approximately 3 mu W/cm(2) of output power density. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.