Flourishing energy harvesters for future body sensor network: from single to multiple energy sources

Tianyiyi He; Xinge Guo; Chengkuo Lee

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2020.101934

Flourishing energy harvesters for future body sensor network: from single to multiple energy sources

iScience. 2020 Dec 11;24(1):101934. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101934. eCollection 2021 Jan 22.

Authors

Tianyiyi He^{1

2

3}, Xinge Guo^{1

2}, Chengkuo Lee^{1

2

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore 117576, Singapore.
² Center for Intelligent Sensors and MEMS (CISM), National University of Singapore, 5 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117608, Singapore.
³ National University of Singapore Suzhou Research Institute (NUSRI), Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou 215123, China.
⁴ NUS Graduate School for Integrative Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456, Singapore.

Abstract

Body sensor network (bodyNET) offers possibilities for future disease diagnosis, preventive health care, rehabilitation, and treatment. However, the eventual realization demands reliable and sustainable power sources. The flourishing energy harvesters (EHs) have provided prominent techniques for practically addressing the concurrent energy issue. Targeting for a specific energy source, wearable EHs with a sole conversion mechanism are well investigated. Hybrid EHs integrating different effects for a single source or multi-sources are attaining growing attention, for they provide another degree of freedom concerning a higher-level energy utility. Merging EHs with other functional electronics, diversified functional self-sustainable systems are developed, paving the way for the accomplishment of bodyNET. This review introduces the evolution of wearable EHs from a single effect to hybridized mechanisms for multiple energy sources and wearable to implantable self-sustainable systems. Last, we provide our perspectives on the future development of hybrid EHs to be more competitive with conventional batteries.

Keywords: Biodevices; Devices; Energy Resources; Energy Systems.

Publication types

Review