High-Power Biomechanical Energy Harvesting From All Limb Movements of Humans

Harvesting energy from human motion and converting it into electrical energy produces power that can replace batteries or serve as an emergency power source for smart wearable electronic devices. To fully utilize all limb movements of humans, a high-power biomechanical energy harvester that employs a hybrid synergistic drive mechanism (HBEH-HSDM) is proposed. The synergistic employment of various forms of human motion excitation allows the harvester to work more effectively, and improve the output power quality. The theoretical mathematical model and test criteria for the proposed system are developed and verified experimentally. The HBEH-HSDM prototype's average power reached 9.97 W, with the hybrid synergistic drive mode outperforming the one-drive mode by more than 300%. Test subjects wore the HBEH-HSDM prototype during treadmill tests, and they could generate a power density greater than 6 W/kg. The possibility of adopting the HBEH-HSDM for self-powering devices was verified by using it to supply power to commercial smart electronic devices. This work provides a previously method for self-powered wearable devices, thereby enabling safe and efficient work in an intelligent and ecologically friendly way.