Korean researchers have developed a way to efficiently turn noise and vibrations that may irk us every day into an efficient source of power.
Such waste energy has potential to be used in IoT and wearable devices.
Park Se-young has the details.
Buildings and bridges are often equipped with sensors to monitor their structural health.
However, the batteries powering the sensors sometimes need replacing, which is both costly and dangerous.
Now, Korean researchers have developed a system that provides a renewable energy source for such sensors by harvesting waste energy.
A phononic crystal structure first collects energy from sounds and vibrations produced by structures, …then converts the energy into electricity.
The metamaterial-based system was able to produce 22 times more energy compared to existing energy harvesting technology.
It's the first technology of its kind to obtain several milliwatts of power, which is enough to power sensors.
The system is expected to have a variety of applications, such as in IoT sensors.

"We're looking forward to huge market growth as there's a demand for wireless sensors in many areas like the wearables market and industrial settings."

The findings were published in the journal Nano Energy.
Park Se-young, Arirang News.