Micro-scale energy harvester converts vibrations to electricity

A new energy-harvesting device developed at the University of Michigan can transform kinetic energy from its surroundings into electricity. The small power generators developed at the NSF Engineering Research Center for Wireless Integrated Microsystems are highly efficient at providing renewable electrical power from arbitrary non-periodic vibrations. This type of vibration is a byproduct of traffic driving on bridges, machinery operating in factories and humans moving their limbs, for example. [Read more...]