The team concedes that this is just the first step towards a viable trickle charger that could be used to keep medical devices, monitors and sensors trickle charged while a person goes about their normal lives
New technology to capture the kinetic energy of our everyday movements, such as walking, and to convert it into electrical energy has come a step closer thanks to research to be published in the International Journal Biomechatronics and Biomedical Robotics.
Researchers have for many years attempted to harvest energy from our everyday movements to allow us to trickle charge electronic devices while we are walking without the need for expensive and cumbersome gadgets such as solar panels or hand-cranked chargers. Lightweight devices are limited in the voltage that they can produce from our low-frequency movements to a few millivolts. However, this is not sufficient to drive electrons through a semiconductor diode so that a direct current can be tapped off and used to charge a device, even a low-power medical implant, for instance.
Now, Jiayang Song and Kean Aw of The University of Auckland, New Zealand, have built an energy harvester that consists of a snake-shapes strip of silicone, polydimethylsiloxane, this acts as a flexible cantilever that bends back and forth with body movements. The cantilever is attached to a conducting metal coil with a strong neodymium, NdFeB, magnet inside, all enclosed in a polymer casing. When a conductor moves through a magnetic field a current is induced in the conductor. This has been the basis of electrical generation in power stations, dynamos and other such systems since the discovery of the effect in the nineteenth century. Using a powerful magnet and a conducting coil with lots of turns means a higher voltage can be produced.
In order to extract the electricity generated, there is a need to include special circuitry that takes only the positive voltage and passes it along to a rechargeable battery. In previous work, this circuitry includes a rectifying diode that allows current to flow in one positive direction only and blocks the reverse, negative, current. Unfortunately, the development of kinetic chargers has been stymied by current diode technology that requires a voltage of around 200 millivolts to drive a current.
Song and Aw have now side-stepped this obstacle by using a tiny electrical transformer and a capacitor, which acts like a microelectronic battery. Their charger weighing just a few grams oscillates, wiggling the coil back and forth through the neodymium magnetic field and produces 40 millivolts. The transformer captures this voltage and stores up the charge in the capacitor in fractions of a second. Once the capacitor is full it discharges sending a positive pulse to the rechargeable battery, thus acting as its own rectifier.
The team concedes that this is just the first step towards a viable trickle charger that could be used to keep medical devices, monitors and sensors trickle charged while a person goes about their normal lives without the need for access to a power supply. The system might be even more useful if it were embedded in an implanted medical device to prolong battery life without the need for repeated surgical intervention to replace a discharged battery. This could be a boon for children requiring a future generation of implanted, electronic diagnostic and therapeutic units.
The Latest on: Kinetic battery charger
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Kinetic battery charger” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Kinetic battery charger
- Is It OK To Leave A Ryobi Battery On Its Charger? Here's What You Should Knowon March 22, 2024 at 9:15 am
Like many other cordless tool brands, Ryobi battery charge times can vary based on the model, the charger, and the combination of both of those factors. Since there's no uniform metric ...
- What Charger Is Best For Your Car Battery?on March 21, 2024 at 7:30 am
To make sure you charge your car battery in the best way possible, it is important to have the best charger for your car battery. This article will let you go through some of the best car battery ...
- The Best Portable Laptop Chargeron March 18, 2024 at 9:13 am
It keeps up with MacBook Pros and other powerful laptops, it has a compact size and shape, and its battery life is as good as any we’ve tested. This portable charger has an AC outlet ...
- I’m worried about getting stranded in an electric car!on March 15, 2024 at 2:14 am
Each week, columnist Erin Baker solves a real-world electric vehicle dilemma. This time: the fear of running out of zap ...
- New Dodge Charger Unveiled as "World's First and Only" Electric Muscle Caron March 13, 2024 at 7:04 am
Dodge has announced the global debut of what it is calling the "world's first and only electric muscle car" and the brand's "first multi-energy muscle car": the all-new Dodge Charger.
- 2019 Chevrolet Volton February 11, 2024 at 8:48 pm
While it still needs 13 hours to fully recharge its battery using a standard 120-volt household outlet, the larger charger will refill ... braking to recapture kinetic energy that would otherwise ...
- 10 New Ryobi Tools For Your Home And Yard In 2024on February 11, 2024 at 7:44 am
A 40-volt battery and fast charger are included with each mower ... To this end, they designed a world-first with their cordless kinetic log splitter. This uses brushless technology that is ...
- Portable Jump Starter vs Battery Charger: what's the difference and which is best for you?on November 18, 2023 at 10:37 am
there are two approaches to take – a portable jump starter or a battery charger. Both of these products bring your battery (and car) back to life by feeding energy back into a dead battery.
- Kinetic Green Zing User Reviewson February 6, 2023 at 7:34 am
I have bought the attractive and decent looking k I have bought the attractive and decent looking kinetic green zing ... Along portable battery and powerful engine. It comes with BLDC motor ...
- Battery chargers - what you need to knowon February 24, 2016 at 4:00 pm
Do you want to buy a new battery charger? Whether it's your first time buying a charger or you're replacing an old one, it’s worth knowing what extra features are worth paying for. Below, we explain ...
via Bing News