Trends
Printed Energy Harvesters
For Autonomous Military Applications
Energy-harvesting technology, produced with innovative printing methods, has the potential to improve soldiers' in-the-field
capabilities while simultaneously trimming equipment weight and costs.
By Ashwith Chilvery and Silpika Karampuri
E
nergy harvesting — also called energy
scavenging or power harvesting — is the
process by which ambient energy is captured
and converted into electricity for small
autonomous devices, such as satellites, laptops, and
nodes in sensor networks, making them self-sufficient.
In recent years, research on energy harvesters
for medical, military, industrial, and commercial
applications has greatly increased due to the
harvesters' instantaneous energy delivery, flexibility,
and portability. Military applications are of particular
interest, since energy harvesters are soldier-friendly,
enhancing warriors' capabilities in long-range and
multifaceted battlefield endeavors. Power-harvesting
technologies, operating with dependable efficiency,
open the door to a host of new applications for a
soldier's wearable devices and other portable military
electronics.
This article examines future prospects and
manufacturing possibilities surrounding a few of
the most efficient energy-harvesting technologies:
piezoelectricity, photovoltaic, and pyroelectricity (the
"3 Ps"). Military devices based on the 3-P technology
must exhibit exceptional durability to function in
harsh environments with little human attention. Also,
printing methodologies, such as gravure printing and
nanoimprinting, could be key to manufacturing this
technology. Thus, a detailed understanding of the
3 Ps and their manufacture is necessary to optimize
performance.
Introduction
In recent years, energy harvesting has emerged as a
buzzword among energy leaders and researchers. As
batteries provide a finite amount of power — even
when used with low-power, portable microelectronics
— researchers are examining how energy drawn from
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Figure 1: An illustration of how a soldier's environment can utilize the "3 Ps"
of energy-harvesting technology.
Figure 2: Illustration of various sources for energy-harvesting technologies