New York, March 27 (IANS) A team of researchers has developed a way to collect energy from radio waves to power wearable devices.
The study shows that current energy sources for wearable health monitoring devices have their place in the power supply of sensor devices, but each of them has its drawbacks.
Solar energy, for example, can only collect energy when exposed to the sun. The self-propelled triboelectric device can collect energy only when the body is in motion.
“We use the energy that already surrounds us – radio waves are everywhere, all the time,” said researcher Huanyu Larry Cheng of Penn, USA.
“If we do not use this energy in the environment, it is simply lost. We can collect this energy and adjust it in force,” Cheng added.
For the study, published in the journal Materials Today Physics, the researchers developed an extensible broadband dipole antenna system capable of wirelessly transmitting data collected by health monitoring sensors.
The system consists of two extensible metal antennas integrated on a conductive graphene material with a metal coating. The broadband design of the system allows it to retain its frequency functions even when stretched, bent and twisted.
This system then connects to an extensible correction circuit, creating a corrected antenna or “rectin” capable of converting energy from electromagnetic waves into electricity.
This electricity can be used to power wireless devices or to charge energy storage devices such as batteries and supercapacitors.
This retina can convert radio or electromagnetic waves from the environment into power to power the device’s sensor modules, which monitor temperature, hydration, and pulsed oxygen levels.
Compared to other sources, less energy is produced, but the system can generate energy continuously – a significant advantage, according to the researcher.
– IANI
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