Energy Harvesting

Imagine a truck tarp that can harvest the energy of sunlight. With the help of new textile-based solar cells semitrailers could soon be producing the electricity needed to power cooling systems or other onboard equipment. In short, textile-based solar cells could soon be adding a whole new dimension to photovoltaics, complementing the use of conventional silicon-based solar cells.

In the world of flexible electronics, printed electronics and In Mold Structural Electronics IMSE ™ the staple is metal patterning for basic purposes such as interconnects.

Researchers have been able to enhance the power factor of a promising thermoelectric material by more than 100% by varying the pressure, paving the way for new materials with improved thermoelectric properties.

Brazilian start-up Flying to the Sun, which specializes in the development of projects using photovoltaic energy, has created a solar bag made from Amazonian fish skin.

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

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.\r\n\r\n

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.

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.