Energy Harvesting

Q&A: Energy

Q&A: Electricity-Free Cooling

Professor Qiaoqiang Gan of the University at Buffalo (NY) and his team developed a unique two-in-one system that uses solar energy for simultaneously cooling and heating — without electricity.

Briefs: Energy

Turning Carbon Dioxide into Liquid Fuel

A new electrocatalyst efficiently converts carbon dioxide into ethanol.

Blog: Energy

A 'Wearable Microgrid' Powers Your Devices

You have the power. That's the idea behind a "wearable microgrid" from the University of California San Diego that harvest and stores energy from your body to power electronics.

INSIDER: Materials

Luminescent Windows Generate Energy From Inside and Out

Rice University engineers have suggested a colorful solution to next-generation energy collection: Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) in your windows. The team designed and...

INSIDER: Materials

New Wearable Device Turns the Body Into a Battery

Researchers at CU Boulder have developed a new, low-cost, wearable device that transforms the human body into a biological battery. The device is stretchy enough that you can wear it like...

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Stretchable Micro-Supercapacitors Self-Power Wearable Devices

A stretchable system can harvest energy from human breathing and motion.

Briefs: Energy

Side-Mounted Solar Modules Enhance Energy Sustainability

Research demonstrates the potential of a solar unit that can hang on the outside of a structure.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Circuit Generates Clean, Limitless Power from Graphene

The chip could provide low-voltage power for small devices or sensors.

Briefs: Materials

Energy-Harvesting Device Turns Wi-Fi Signals into Usable Power

This device for harnessing terahertz radiation might enable self-powering implants, cellphones, and other portable electronics.

Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control

Products of Tomorrow: January 2021

A malaria-test "bandage"; underwater navigation via sound; and a biodegrading, implantable sensor.

INSIDER: Electronics & Computers

Clean, Limitless Power from Graphene

A team of University of Arkansas physicists has successfully developed a circuit capable of capturing graphene’s thermal motion and converting it into an electrical current.

Articles: Energy

2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Manufacturing/Robotics/Automation Category Winner — RadiBond

RadiBond technology, based on nanometer-thin coatings, provides ultra-strong and ultra-tight bonding between metals and plastics.

Articles: Energy

2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Sustainable Technologies/Future Energy Category Winner — Flash Graphene

A new process can turn bulk quantities of just about any carbon source into valuable graphene flakes.

Blog: Electronics & Computers

A Solar Alternative: How to Power Devices with Indoor Light

A new material is especially effective at absorbing indoor light and converting it into usable energy.

Blog: Electronics & Computers

'Soil Fuel Cells' Support Water Treatment in Brazil

The soil microbial fuel cells produce energy to filter enough water for a person’s daily needs, with potential to increase scale.

5 Ws: Electronics & Computers

5 Ws of the Paper-Based Keypad

Users can take paper sheets from a notebook and turn them into a music player interface or make food packaging interactive.

Briefs: Green Design & Manufacturing

Smart Window Improves Energy Efficiency of Buildings

A customizable smart window harnesses and manipulates solar power to save energy and cut costs.

Briefs: Wearables

Drawing Electronics on Human Skin

People could monitor their own health conditions by picking up a pencil and drawing a bioelectronic device on their skin.

INSIDER: Imaging

Perovskite and Organic Solar cells Prove Successful in Space

Almost all satellites are powered by solar cells – but solar cells are heavy. While conventional high-performance cells reach up to three watts of electricity per gram,...

INSIDER: Energy

Scientists Boost Stability and Efficiency of Next-Gen Solar Tech

Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) have created next-generation solar modules with high efficiency and good...

Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Products of Tomorrow: September 2020

An A/C alternative, AI that sharpens blurry images, and a NASA energy harvester.

Facility Focus: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Facility Focus: NASA John C. Stennis Space Center

Stennis now is testing RS-25 rocket engines for the Space Launch System (SLS) that will carry humans back to the Moon.

Briefs: Energy

Self-Powered Alarm Fights Forest Fires, Monitors Environment

A remote forest fire detection and alarm system is powered by nothing but the movement of trees in the wind.

Articles: Electronics & Computers

Long-life Batteries for the IIoT

Choosing the right battery will save trouble and expense in the long run.

Articles: Electronics & Computers

Wiegand Wire: Energy Harvesting and More

With the emergence of a new generation of ultra-efficient electronic chips, the Wiegand technology is showing significant promise, especially in the exciting area of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

Briefs: Energy

Transparent Graphene Electrodes

A new roll-to-roll production method could enable lightweight, flexible solar devices and a new generation of display screens.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Wearable Strain Sensor Using Light Transmittance

This technology shows potential for the detection of subtle human motions and the real-time monitoring of body postures for healthcare applications.