Self-adaptive rotational electromagnetic energy generation as an alternative to triboelectric and piezoelectric transductions

Triboelectric and piezoelectric energy harvesters can hardly power most microelectronic systems. Rotational electromagnetic harvesters are very promising alternatives, but their performance is highly dependent on the varying mechanical sources. This study presents an innovative approach to significantly increase the performance of rotational harvesters, based on dynamic coil switching strategies for optimization of the coil connection architecture during energy generation. Both analytical and experimental validations of the concept of self-adaptive rotational harvester were carried out. The adaptive harvester was able to provide an average power increase of 63.3% and 79.5% when compared to a non-adaptive 16-coil harvester for harmonic translation and harmonic swaying excitations, respectively, and 83.5% and 87.2% when compared to a non-adaptive 8-coil harvester. The estimated energy conversion efficiency was also enhanced from ~80% to 90%. This study unravels an emerging technological approach to power a wide range of applications that cannot be powered by other vibrationally driven harvesters. Pedro Rolo and colleagues designed a rotational electromagnetic harvester using an adaptive coil-switching architecture. This adaptability significantly enhances the energy efficiency and power density, as demonstrated analytically and experimentally.