Tiny generator turns vibrations into electricity

We've seen a couple interesting attempts to convert vibrations and sound into electricity, but the latest design from a team at the University of Southampton is the first we've come across that's designed to be attached to bridges, large buildings, and other structures. The sugar cube-sized generator, a smaller version of a design already commercially available, uses cantilever-mounted magnets to induce a current in a copper coil -- a use of magnets to generate electricity that doesn't violate any laws of thermodynamics, which is always appreciated. The team has successfully used the generator to power an accelerometer (pictured), and tests indicate that the unit can put out up to 46 microwatts of power -- enough to run a pacemaker off the vibrations of the heart itself. No word on commercial availability, but the team seems like they're ready to get shaking fairly soon.

[Ant @ Jul 6th 2007 11:20AM]

my god thats fucking smart.....

[Chris @ Jul 6th 2007 11:20AM]

Excellent... the prototype speaks for itself. That is how it's done!

[Chuckles McGee @ Jul 6th 2007 11:29AM]

Now thumping on your chest really can get that old pacemaker of yours fired up again!

[Brian @ Jul 6th 2007 1:59PM]

Da Bears!

[onix @ Jul 6th 2007 2:20PM]

What's new here is the size. There has already been lots of work on energy harvesting/scavenging (google this) and as some of you mention it manifestation in consumer products, Seiko kinetic watches and shake-activated flashlights.

The problem with size is that the amount of power harvested is generally proportional to the size. The fact that they were able to couple it to an accel is an accomplishment. The question is efficiency - how efficiently do they convert vibration energy into electrical energy.

Note also that anything that takes away vibration energy is a damping mechanism. This is why energy scavenging in shoes feels like walking on sand -- I'm exaggerating, but you get the point.

[cow @ Jul 6th 2007 2:32PM]

yeah go onix! i wanted to say something like that but u beat me to it. also, what if these were coupled with shock absorbers in cars? on a scale like that, imagine how much energy would be generate.

[cDub @ Jul 6th 2007 11:30AM]

can i get one to recharge my wiimote?

[poutinemaster @ Jul 6th 2007 11:34AM]

Let's put this into hybrid cars for even better efficiency!

[Shane @ Jul 6th 2007 11:33AM]

Steorn, are you listening?

[NHAnimator @ Jul 6th 2007 11:34AM]

Self-powered, er, adult toys?

[Peter @ Jul 6th 2007 12:01PM]

Perpetual motion toys. ;)

[Tim Goldsmith @ Jul 6th 2007 11:35AM]

they should put one of these in each of your shoes so you can store energy while you walk, then you can use the energy to charge any mobile device that needs juice while you are resting

[Cpt.Scarecrow @ Jul 6th 2007 11:41AM]

There are already many people who created that, see http://www.media.mit.edu/resenv/power.html for example.

Would be great if it turned mainstream. Never needing to charge your gadgets as long as you walk around a bit would be awesome.

[Speedmonkay @ Jul 6th 2007 12:47PM]

Too bad most of us Americans are lazy and dont want to get up and walk around ...

[johnzilla @ Jul 6th 2007 2:55PM]

What about using two panels, one on the inside of each thigh? As the panels pass each other, they would cause some sort of reaction (magnetic?...I'm not an electrical engineer) and produce current. The current could be used to charge personal electronic devices.

Do the same thing for your arms...panels on your shirt on either side of your abdomen, and a panel on the inside of each arm.

Might have already been done, but it seems like a neat idea to me.

[Rob @ Jul 6th 2007 11:36AM]

This is nice.
Now, all I have to do is play my drum set for about an hour. That should give me enough electricity to light up my house for the night.

All nonsense aside, this is a great thing to develop. And putting it in high traffic areas would guarantee a positive result.

[Passarinhuu @ Jul 6th 2007 11:37AM]

wow, this can have a broad range of applications but the pace-maker must be the ideal one. I wonder why we haven't seen this implemented before since it's such a simple application of Faraday's law (don't know if that's the british term for it...), just a device that uses the vibration of the environment to produce a variaton of the magnetic flux that crosses the section of a solenoid...
Isn't that the technology used by wrist watch manufacturers to make watches that don't require batteries?

[ALM @ Jul 6th 2007 11:39AM]

Is it just me or this big black round thing looks like battery? One that have 5.5V on it?

[Matt @ Jul 6th 2007 11:53AM]

If you had bothered to click the 'read' link and read the source material, you would have read that "The micro-generator (block at the centre of the chip) can generate enough electricity to power the rest of the circuit, a wireless accelerometer". Ergo, the entire chipboard is not the generator, that blocky looking thing in the centre is. Marc's no doubt correct.

[Donald Hall @ Jul 6th 2007 12:30PM]

The big black round thing is a capacitor. A device that can store small amounts of electricity and release it quickly.

It's *sorta* like a battery. It's faster and more efficient though.

[ALM @ Jul 6th 2007 12:42PM]

Never saw capacitor in such package. But saw a lot of batteries like that on motherboards. Plus capacitor usually have capacitance parameter, you know... farads, not just voltage. Though it's hard to tell from picture.

[chrispy35 @ Jul 6th 2007 7:09PM]

It says 0.047F right next to the 5.5V...

[Cpt.Scarecrow @ Jul 6th 2007 11:39AM]

University of Southampton: "Look our device can generate electricity from vibrations!"
Sean McCarthy: "But does it follow the laws of thermodynamics?"
University of Southampton: "......Yeah......"
Sean McCarthy: "Whatever..."
University of Southampton: "..."

[Marc @ Jul 6th 2007 11:43AM]

When I was a kid, we used to have a word for a 'tiny generator that turns vibrations into electricity':
Microphone.

[Atanas Boev @ Jul 6th 2007 12:59PM]

And you can charge your mp3 player by shouting at it.

"Power up! POWER UP! POOOWEEER UUUUP!" :)

[Marc @ Jul 6th 2007 11:48AM]

@ALM; Maybe the generator is charging the battery..... but somehow, I doubt it ;-)

[jerrt @ Jul 6th 2007 12:10PM]

the pacemaker idea is really smart if it can be done.

now the wiimote charging idea would be perfect. someone jump on this right now.

oh and i'm glad the laws of thermodynamics are kept in check. the world would fall apart if they got one over on the rules of universe. [:

[Ultraorange @ Jul 6th 2007 12:15PM]

I"m kinda dissapointed have none of you seen a Seiko kinetic? there have been watches out forever that capture energy from movement by counterweight. Essentially the same this as here.

[Spyvie @ Jul 6th 2007 12:26PM]

Or what about those flashlights that you shake to charge, ala "40 year old virgin"

[Ultraorange @ Jul 6th 2007 12:32PM]

Right this is all cool stuff to me it's just not quick every one run and tell your moms. Jeez next thing you know these guys are going to find out you can get energy from wind and water and even sunlight.

Lets have a wind powered pacemaker the fan will be in their throat and as long as they are alive they stay alive.

[J234 @ Jul 6th 2007 12:21PM]

I agree with Ultraorange. These things (or something very similiar) have been around in some watches for years. This is nothing new or special.

[treetrunk @ Jul 6th 2007 12:42PM]

@J234, Ultraorange, etc.

There's a bit of a difference in scale between the movement of a watch on a persons arm or a torch in their hand and the vibration of a bridge!

As it says above, this is designed to power remote low-power devices such as sensors attached to buildings or bridges. Buildings and bridges do not typically swing around like a persons arm!

[Emceay @ Jul 6th 2007 12:51PM]

They should line the earth's fault lines with these things and siphon every earth tremor for juice.

[newUser @ Jul 6th 2007 1:02PM]

@ALM
The device that says "5.5V" is an electrolytic capapcitor

[Moogle @ Jul 6th 2007 2:12PM]

Forget about alternative energy sources like solar, wind, and ethanol: Strap these babies onto Parkinson's patients and alkies who've got the DT's cuz they need a drink, and you single-handedly stop all reliance on foreign oil!

[Speedmonkay @ Jul 6th 2007 2:49PM]

Or we can wire up a bunch of kids with ADHD ... the possibilities with this are endless

[rp @ Jul 6th 2007 5:09PM]

Wow, way to be offensive.

[David MacMillan @ Jul 6th 2007 1:51PM]

Now if they can figure out how to make the kinetic energy in the atoms of a heated material work the same way as vibrations, then this would be a cooling mechanism for electronics that actually PRODUCES energy rather than using it.

[pimpdigit @ Jul 6th 2007 3:41PM]

Think about this on a far grander scale e.g. using the vibrations that the earth constantly puts out such as earthquakes, volcanoes and waves; or on an even larger scale using the gravitational pull of the moon. Small is good but think about the possibilities for a near limitless source of power for electricity consumption.

[Phil @ Jul 6th 2007 4:56PM]

If we could combine this with the heat generated by the human body and an advanced form of fusion, then huge towers with tanks full of human beings could power all of the planet's machines!

[R. C. @ Jul 6th 2007 5:08PM]

The energy comes from the vibrations, so the vibrations must be dampened by this device. That could be a goal by itself.

[Andrew @ Jul 6th 2007 9:46PM]

It only produces 0.000046 watts. :-(

[Simon @ Jul 8th 2007 8:57AM]

Shove these on the magnets of earphones and headphones and connect the power collected back to the DAP and u got unlimited continuous music!!!!!!!!!!!