Vibration energy to power multiple wireless sensor nodes

A new way developed by researchers from the United States and South Korea, for using ambient energy of vibration for energy harvesting (EH) device. They use a flat skin than the cantilever. EH skin proved better than EH cantilever devices because its able to provide power to operate multiple wireless sensor nodes. The technology is expected to eliminate the need for battery replacement, thus cutting operational costs.

The research on EH skin by researchers from the University of Notre Dame in the United States and Seoul National University in South Korea with support from POSCO Genesis Program, has been published in the latest issue of Smart Materials and Structures and IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control .

Basically, the EH skin work by piezoelectric effect which utilizes mechanical stress of material to produce electricity. In a study conducted on the material using a PZT (lead zirconate titanate) showed highest energy conversion efficiency than other piezoelectric materials.

Furthermore the researchers want to exploit the EH skin multiple vibration modes to improve the power conversion efficiency significantly or even for application on aircraft or ground vehicle . Furthermore, the multifunction skin EH in addition for energy harvesting, it may can be used for energy storage,carry the load, and noise reduction.