Mechanical Intelligent Energy Harvesting: From Methodology to Applications

Abstract

The Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) connects everything with intelligence, while the increase in energy consumption generated by numerous electronic devices puts forward an impending demand on the power supply. Energy harvesting technology has emerged as a compelling innovation technology for the net zero emissions of the power supply for the AIoT. Although significant advances have been witnessed in energy harvesting, some issues such as poor electrical output, weak environmental adaptability, and low reliability are difficult to satisfactorily resolve. Mechanical intelligent energy harvesting can be defined as the system identifying the external excitation or its own state and reacting to it, rather than relying on electrical sensing elements or a central controller for certain adaptive or programmed functions. The adaptive and programmed functions exhibit great potential in solving the above‐mentioned issues that seriously restrict the development of the energy harvesting technology. Here, a generalized definition of mechanical intelligent energy harvesting is given critically and the design methodology is elaborated. The typical reported energy harvesting systems with the characteristics of mechanical intelligence are reviewed. The key research directions in mechanical intelligent energy harvesting are discussed. The mechanical intelligence is expected to revolutionize the development of the energy‐harvesting technology and pave the way for applications.

Piezoelectric breeze energy harvester with mechanical intelligence mechanism for smart agricultural monitoring systems

“…The energy storage module converts alternating current into direct current and stores it in a supercapacitor to power the node. Zhao et al [31] proposed the concept of mechanical intelligent energy harvesting and detailed its design methodology to solve the problems of poor power output, weak environmental adaptability, and low reliability, which have seriously constrained the development of energy harvesting technology. Mechanical intelligent energy harvesting is defined as the system recognizing and reacting to external excitation or its state, rather than relying on electrical sensing elements or a central controller to realize certain adaptive or programmed functions.…”

High-Sensitivity and Wide-Range Flexible Ionic Piezocapacitive Pressure Sensors with Porous Hemisphere Array Electrodes

“…Flexible pressure sensors have great application prospects in wearable electronics because pressure is the most common physiological signal. Generally, flexible pressure sensors convert pressure signals into electrical signals through piezoresistive effects [ 13 , 14 ], piezoelectric effects [ 15 , 16 ], piezocapacitive effects [ 17 , 18 , 19 ], and triboelectric effects [ 20 , 21 ]. Among them, flexible pressure sensors based on piezocapacitive effects have the advantages of easy implementation, insensitivity to temperature and humidity, good stability, and low energy consumption.…”

Harvesting Ocean Wave Energy via Magnetoelastic Generators for Self-Powered Hydrogen Production

“…Currently, the dominant method for harnessing mechanical kinetic energy from ocean waves centers around electromagnetic generators (EMGs). − However, there are significant challenges in deploying EMGs for ocean wave energy harvesting. First, due to the use of magnets and metal coils, the inherent weight and mass density of EMGs impede their ability to float naturally, necessitating additional support structures such as floaters or buoy platforms.…”