Advancing personalized healthcare and entertainment: Progress in energy harvesting materials and techniques of self-powered wearable devices

The emergence of self-powered wearable devices has revolutionized health and wellness monitoring by effortlessly integrating it into daily life. This article explores the recent advancements and challenges in energy efficiency and harvesting technologies, which have been instrumental in the development of these wearables. These self-powered systems encompass sensors, energy harvesting mechanisms, power management units, energy storage, data transmission, and processing platforms. This article emphasizes the energy harvesting aspect, providing a concise overview of core techniques, and critically analyzing their application in state-of-the-art wearable devices. Furthermore, we investigate ongoing research and industry efforts to establish networks of self-powered wearables for sustained, long-term operation. Through this analysis, the article aims to provide insights into leveraging current knowledge and technology to accelerate the growth and potential of self-powered wearable devices in healthcare and entertainment.