We report the first flexible hybrid energy cell that is capable of simultaneously or individually harvesting thermal, mechanical, and solar energies to power some electronic devices. For having both the pyroelectric and piezoelectric properties, a polarized poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) film-based nanogenerator (NG) was used to harvest thermal and mechanical energies. Using aligned ZnO nanow...

This paper presents design, multiphysics finite element modeling and experimental validation of a new miniaturized PZT generator that integrates a bulk piezoelectric ceramic onto a flexible platform for energy harvesting from the human body pressing force. In spite of its flexibility, the mechanical structure of the proposed device is simple to fabricate and efficient for the energy conversion....

Harvesting energy from the environment by using a thermoelectric generator (TEG) or photovoltaic cells provides a solution for battery-free sensor networks or electronic healthcare systems. In these systems, the harvested energy is supplied at a very low voltages, requiring a low-startup-voltage power circuit for kick-start from low voltage. A previous sub-100mV-startup-voltage boost converter ...

The energy harvesting efficiency of electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride), its copolymer vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene and composites of the later with piezoelectric BaTiOon interdigitated electrodes has been investigated. Further, a study of the influence of the electrospinning processing parameters on the size and distribution of http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sna.2013.03.023 2 the com...

We have proposed and successfully demonstrated a novel approach to direct conversion of mechanical energy into electrical energy using microfluidics. The method combines previously demonstrated reverse electrowetting on dielectric (REWOD) phenomenon with the fast self-oscillating process of bubble growth and collapse. Fast bubble dynamics, used in conjunction with REWOD, provides a possibility ...

Steering agricultural machinery during the harvest in fields is a tedious task for drivers. Automated guidance of the machinery will not only reduce driver fatigue but also increase productivity and safety of the harvesting operation. The existing mechanical solutions for row navigation on the sugar beet fields do not provide sufficient accuracy during the harvesting process. The next important...

Dielectric elastomers undergo large deformations in response to an electric field and consequently have attracted significant interest as electromechanical transducers. Applications of these materials include actuators capable of converting an applied electric field into mechanical motion and energy harvesting devices that convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. Numerically based desi...

Sixteen stands were harvested by either clearcut, shelterwood, group selection, or singletree selection methods. Three of the stands had uneven-aged structure. The other 13 were typical, matrJre, even-aged stands. Hmest intensity @roportion of basal area removed) ranged from 0.27 to 1 .@I. Hanrestcd sites were similar in slope, average diameter at breast height (DBH), and pre-harvest diamcte.r ...

An important question that must be addressed by any energy harvesting technology is related to the type of energy available (Paradiso et al., 2005; Roundy et al., 2003). Among the renewable energy sources, kinetic energy is undoubtedly the most widely studied for applications to the micro-energy generation1. Kinetic energy harvesting requires a transduction mechanism to generate electrical ener...

With the decrease in energy consumption of portable electronic devices, the concept of harvesting renewable energy in human surrounding arouses a renewed interest. In this context, we have developed a piezoelectric generator that harvests mechanical vibrations energy available on a bicycle. Embarked piezoelectric transducer, which is an electromechanical converter, undergoes mechanical vibratio...