The chip is powered by light, heat and vibration. Free Technical Library News

NEWS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, NOVELTY IN ELECTRONICS
Free technical library / timeline

The chip is powered by light, heat and vibration

17.07.2012

The chip is able to extract energy from light, heat and vibration at the same time. Sensors with such chips will never require an internal power source - a battery or an accumulator - and can work forever. Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have taken an important step towards the emergence of sensors without internal energy sources - batteries and accumulators, according to Physorg. The head of the Institute's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Saurav Bandyopadhyay, has created a chip that can "draw" energy from the environment: light, heat and vibration.

Previous studies in this direction have already been carried out. A colleague of the scientist Anantha Chandrakasan learned to take electrical energy from three different sources separately: light, heat and vibration. In the new work, the scientist combined the ability to take energy from these sources in one microcircuit, and also increased the power efficiency.

The created chip can take energy from the movement of parts of the human body, for example, when walking, or from the temperature difference in the human body. Sensors with such chips can be used to take body parameters and work indefinitely. In turn, sensors installed on road and rail bridges, which inform the services about the state of the structure, can take energy from the vibration generated due to the passage of vehicles over the bridge.

The main difficulty, according to the developer, was to create an electrical circuit of the chip that could process several sources at once, differing in different capacities. As a rule, this problem is solved by a simple automatic selection of the source that gives the maximum power. According to Bandiopadhyay, this approach is less efficient because the energy of the remaining sources is wasted at this time. “Instead, we have learned to get energy from all sources at once,” the scientist comments. This was done with the help of capacitors that accumulate charge from other sources when the power is supplied from the main one.

The second task was to minimize the energy that the circuit itself consumes. Typically, power is supplied through a battery or high-capacity capacitor. Energy flows to them, and only then - to the main circuit. Bandyopadhyay made the circuit work directly from the energy source. According to him, this significantly increased efficiency.

<< Back: Multicopter - multi-rotor electric helicopter 17.07.2012

>> Forward: Space flight prolongs human life 16.07.2012

Latest news of science and technology, new electronics:

The existence of an entropy rule for quantum entanglement has been proven 09.05.2024

Quantum mechanics continues to amaze us with its mysterious phenomena and unexpected discoveries. Recently, Bartosz Regula from the RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing and Ludovico Lamy from the University of Amsterdam presented a new discovery that concerns quantum entanglement and its relation to entropy. Quantum entanglement plays an important role in modern quantum information science and technology. However, the complexity of its structure makes understanding and managing it challenging. Regulus and Lamy's discovery shows that quantum entanglement follows an entropy rule similar to that for classical systems. This discovery opens new perspectives in the field of quantum information science and technology, deepening our understanding of quantum entanglement and its connection to thermodynamics. The results of the study indicate the possibility of reversibility of entanglement transformations, which could greatly simplify their use in various quantum technologies. Opening a new rule ... >>

Mini air conditioner Sony Reon Pocket 5 09.05.2024

Summer is a time for relaxation and travel, but often the heat can turn this time into an unbearable torment. Meet a new product from Sony - the Reon Pocket 5 mini-air conditioner, which promises to make summer more comfortable for its users. Sony has introduced a unique device - the Reon Pocket 5 mini-conditioner, which provides body cooling on hot days. With it, users can enjoy coolness anytime, anywhere by simply wearing it around their neck. This mini air conditioner is equipped with automatic adjustment of operating modes, as well as temperature and humidity sensors. Thanks to innovative technologies, Reon Pocket 5 adjusts its operation depending on the user's activity and environmental conditions. Users can easily adjust the temperature using a dedicated mobile app connected via Bluetooth. Additionally, specially designed T-shirts and shorts are available for convenience, to which a mini air conditioner can be attached. The device can oh ... >>

Energy from space for Starship 08.05.2024

Producing solar energy in space is becoming more feasible with the advent of new technologies and the development of space programs. The head of the startup Virtus Solis shared his vision of using SpaceX's Starship to create orbital power plants capable of powering the Earth. Startup Virtus Solis has unveiled an ambitious project to create orbital power plants using SpaceX's Starship. This idea could significantly change the field of solar energy production, making it more accessible and cheaper. The core of the startup's plan is to reduce the cost of launching satellites into space using Starship. This technological breakthrough is expected to make solar energy production in space more competitive with traditional energy sources. Virtual Solis plans to build large photovoltaic panels in orbit, using Starship to deliver the necessary equipment. However, one of the key challenges ... >>

New method for creating powerful batteries 08.05.2024

With the development of technology and the expanding use of electronics, the issue of creating efficient and safe energy sources is becoming increasingly urgent. Researchers at the University of Queensland have unveiled a new approach to creating high-power zinc-based batteries that could change the landscape of the energy industry. One of the main problems with traditional water-based rechargeable batteries was their low voltage, which limited their use in modern devices. But thanks to a new method developed by scientists, this drawback has been successfully overcome. As part of their research, scientists turned to a special organic compound - catechol. It turned out to be an important component that can improve battery stability and increase its efficiency. This approach has led to a significant increase in the voltage of zinc-ion batteries, making them more competitive. According to scientists, such batteries have several advantages. They have b ... >>

Alcohol content of warm beer 07.05.2024

Beer, as one of the most common alcoholic drinks, has its own unique taste, which can change depending on the temperature of consumption. A new study by an international team of scientists has found that beer temperature has a significant impact on the perception of alcoholic taste. The study, led by materials scientist Lei Jiang, found that at different temperatures, ethanol and water molecules form different types of clusters, which affects the perception of alcoholic taste. At low temperatures, more pyramid-like clusters form, which reduces the pungency of the "ethanol" taste and makes the drink taste less alcoholic. On the contrary, as the temperature increases, the clusters become more chain-like, resulting in a more pronounced alcoholic taste. This explains why the taste of some alcoholic drinks, such as baijiu, can change depending on temperature. The data obtained opens up new prospects for beverage manufacturers, ... >>

Random news from the Archive

DDR4 chip based on third-generation 10nm class technology 29.03.2019

Samsung said it was the first in the industry to develop 4Gb Double Data Rate 4 (DDR8) memory chips based on third-generation 10nm class manufacturing technology. At the same time, it is noted that only 16 months have passed since the start of mass production of the same chips, but based on the production technology of the 10-nanometer class of the second generation. During this time, the development of the 8Gb DDR4 chip based on 10nm-class technology without the use of EUV photolithography has pushed the limits of DRAM scaling.

Thanks to the introduction of new technology, production efficiency has been increased by 20% compared to the previous generation technology. After testing the new 8 GB memory modules with processor manufacturers, Samsung will actively collaborate with global customers to provide a wide range of affordable solutions.

Mass production of 4Gb DDR8 memory chips based on third-generation 10nm class manufacturing technology will begin in the second half of this year, and high-performance computers and servers with such chips will hit the market as early as 2020.

See full Archive of science and technology news, new electronics

All languages of this page

Home page | Library | Articles | Website map | Site Reviews