Energy Harvesting

A team of scientists has solved a key flaw in solar panels after 40 years of research around the world.

Wearable devices that harvest energy from movement are not a new idea, but a material created at Rice University may make them more practical.

The rows of blue solar panels that dot landscapes and rooftops are typically made out of crystalline silicon, the workhorse semiconductor found in virtually every electronic device.

Researchers have combined two emerging technologies for next-generation solar power — and discovered that each one helps stabilize the other. The resulting hybrid material is a major step toward reducing the cost of solar power while multiplying the ways it can be used.

A fascination with movie technology that showed robots perform self-repair through a liquid formula inspired a university professor to make his own discoveries - which are now helping to lead the way for advancements in self-powering devices such as consumer electronics and defense innovations.

Researchers have harnessed the latest nanofabrication techniques to create bug-shaped robots that are wirelessly powered, able to walk, able to survive harsh environments and tiny enough to be injected through an ordinary hypodermic needle.

Ordnance Survey and a team of world-leading aeronautic engineers are developing a highly innovative solar powered, High Altitude Pseudo Satellite that is going to change the face of Earth observation and the way we map our planet.

Fiber-based electronics are expected to play a vital role in next-generation wearable electronics. Woven into textiles, they can provide higher durability, comfort, and integrated multi-functionality. A research team has developed a stretchable multi-functional fiber that can harvest energy and detect strain, which can be applied to future wearable electronics.

Imagine a world where smartphones, laptops, wearables, and other electronics are powered without batteries. Researchers from MIT and elsewhere have taken a step in that direction, with the first fully flexible device that can convert energy from Wi-Fi signals into electricity that could power electronics.