Current trends in low-power embedded computing

Abstract

Great advancements in the electronics technology are making possible applications that were considered science fiction only few decades ago. Increases in packaging density of electronic devices, shrinking of physical weight and volume, and accelerated drop in prices, have all helped for the realization of ubiquitous computing using mobile and embedded electronic devices for everyday use. However, the ability to provide long-term sustainable power to many of such applications has been a significant challenge. This paper provides a short survey of the current trends in low-power embedded computing. It reviews the sources of power consumption in electronic devices, presents dynamic energy management techniques; and finally, it reviews energy harvesting techniques to allow autonomous operation.Index Terms -embedded computing, low-power devices, dynamic power management, energy harvesting.

Human passive motions and a user-friendly energy harvesting system

“…Green and renewable energy is of interest to many researchers, governments, and the public due to the increasing environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions and growing costs of energy from fossil sources (Tewolde, 2010). Moreover, the dependency of portable electronic devices on rechargeable batteries and the requirement for regular access to electric networks limit the device’s reliability, availability, and environmental sustainability (Chalasani and Conrad, 2008).…”

“…Today, wireless sensors and CED are mostly powered by batteries; however, there is an increasing number using energy harvesters instead of batteries (Paradiso and Starner, 2005; Tewolde, 2010). There are various emerging technologies for CED that are under research or in commercialization stages (Chalasani and Conrad, 2008), for example, a solar-powered mobile phone and Apple’s™ yoyo battery charger for iPhone™ come under this category.…”