Human Interactive Triboelectric Nanogenerator as a Self-Powered Smart Seat

Abstract

A lightweight, flexible, cost-effective, and robust, single-electrode-based Smart Seat-Triboelectric Nanogenerator (SS-TENG) is introduced as a promising eco-friendly approach for harvesting energy from the living environment, for use in integrated self-powered systems. An effective method for harvesting biomechanical energy from human motion such as walking, running, and sitting, utilizing widely adaptable everyday contact materials (newspaper, denim, polyethylene covers, and bus cards) is demonstrated. The working mechanism of the SS-TENG is based on the generation and transfer of triboelectric charge carriers between the active layer and user-friendly contact materials. The performance of SS-TENG (52 V and 5.2 μA for a multiunit SS-TENG) is systematically studied and demonstrated in a range of applications including a self-powered passenger seat number indicator and a STOP-indicator using LEDs, using a simple logical circuit. Harvested energy is used as a direct power source to drive 60 blue and green commercially available LEDs and a monochrome LCD. This feasibility study confirms that triboelectric nanogenerators are a suitable technology for energy harvesting from human motion during transportation, which could be used to operate a variety of wireless devices, GPS systems, electronic devices, and other sensors during travel.

Research on the Potential of Spherical Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Collecting Vibration Energy and Measuring Vibration

“…The theory of the triboelectric nanogenerator was firstly proposed by Wang [2]. Based on the theory, researchers have developed numbers of triboelectric nanogenerator [3][4][5], which had been widely used in many fields, such as the energy collection [6][7][8][9], industrial sensors [10][11][12][13], medical equipment [14,15], leisure equipment [16][17][18][19], geological monitoring [20,21], and other industrial applications [22,23]. Therefore, the triboelectric nanogenerator brings hope for solving the problems of vibration energy collection and vibration measurement in downhole.…”

Small-Scale Energy Harvesting from Environment by Triboelectric Nanogenerators

“…The operation of TENGs is depended on triboelectrification (or contact electrification) and electrostatic induction [11], and the fundamental theory is according to Maxwell's displacement current and change in surface polarization [12]. Since the first invention of TENG in 2012, it has been extensively investigated and well confirmed that the potential of wide application is ranging from powering small electronic devices for self-powered systems, functioning as active sensors for medical, infrastructural, human-machine, environmental monitoring, and security [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Various types of wasted mechanical energies in our daily life, such as human motion, vibration, wind, and flowing water can be utilized by different TENG structures.…”

Power generation by a thermomagnetic engine by hybrid operation of an electromagnetic generator and a triboelectric nanogenerator

“…Offering good conversion efficiency, the TENG is capable of harvesting small vibration energy, motion energy, wind energy, and wave and tidal energy. Chandrasekhar et al designed self‐powered smart seat harvesting biomechanical energy from human motion. The smart seat TENG yielded a V oc of 52 V and an I sc of 5.2 μA.…”