Skin-Like Piezoelectric Device Could Save Thousands of Dollars by Replacing Batteries

Researchers from the University of Notre Dame in the US have designed a PZT (lead zirconate titanate) piezoelectric device that resembles skin (they called it the EH skin) and that can harness energy from the mechanical work applied to it. The new device can be used in a variety of applications, ranging from wireless sensor units to patches that get energy from vibrations and pass it on to the grid. The sample they tested got as much as 3.7 mW.

New Bill Could Allow California to Harness Power Otherwise Lost as Cars Travel Over...

We've been presenting over time how piezoelectric devices could harness energy from different sources, and I think we were right supporting this technology. The following is a Press Release sent to us by California Assemblyman Mike Gatto, who proposed a new bill that will implement piezoelectric technology already in use in Italy and Israel to harness energy from road vibrations.

Cornell Students Harnessing Wind Vibrations to Produce Free Electricity

A group of undergraduate students at Cornell University has conceived a device that can harness wind-induced vibrations into electricity through the piezoelectric effect. The Vibro-Wind Research Group is led by Frank Moon, Joseph Ford Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Innowattech Applying Piezoelectric Technology To Railroad Tracks For Electricity Generation

After modifying Israeli highways to produce energy from piezoelectric pads installed beneath the asphalt, Innowattech, an Israel-based company, now applied their technology on railroads.

A Step Ahead For Zinc Oxide Piezoelectrics: Over 20 Times Power Improvement

Piezoelectrics are a class of materials that, if applied a mechanical force, exert an electric current on the sides. You may already have knowledge about this, but researchers are studying how to take piezoelectric materials to the next step.

Scientists Create Photovoltaic-Piezoelectric Fiber To Power Gadgets With Light & Motion

A group of researchers at the University of Bolton have created a new piezoelectric-photovoltaic fiber that has the possibility to be implemented into different gadgets to power them using light and motion.

Louisiana Professor Uses Piezoelectric Material and Carbon Nanotubes to Recover Lost Heat

A Louisiana Tech University professor, dr. Long Que, has designed and prototyped a composite material that converts heat into electricity by using simple physical mechanisms found in piezoelectric materials and carbon nanotubes.

PZT Nanofibers Piezoelectric Generator Producing 1.6V Unveiled by SIT Scientist

Dr. Yong Shi, from Stevens Institute of Technology has released a paper called "1.6 V Nanogenerator for Mechanical Energy Harvesting Using PZT Nanofibers." He uses piezoelectric nanowire- and nanofiber-based generators that can convert mechanical energy into electricity.

Piezo Shower: Newly Invented Piezoelectric Nanowires Used to Heat Water Through Friction

The water that you unleash when you take a shower (with the "hot" knob closed) has two properties: pressure and temperature. You can change pressure, but to raise its temperature you usually need extra energy. Regularly, you don't shower with the water knob turned to the maximum, so a certain extra pressure exists in the tubing, creating friction.

Shoe-Embedded Flexible Polymer That Can Power Your Small Devices

Dr. Ville Kaajakari, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at Louisiana Tech University has devised a small power generator that can be embedded in the sole of a shoe, to juice any kind of low-power device.