Technology Advances Convert 'Little' Energy Sources Around Us into Electricity

Murata Manufacturing Co., a Japanese manufacturer of electrical and electronics components, announced on September 26, 2011, that it has developed a technology that can detect and harness small amounts of energy around us and then transmit information by combining "energy harvesting" with low-energy-consuming sensors and wireless transmitters. Energy harvesting is the process by which energy is derived from small amounts of energy commonly available all around us, such as heat, vibration, light, and electromagnetic waves.

Applying this technology, Murata has developed a "battery-less" analog wireless remote control that incorporates a photovoltaic generator and a transparent piezoelectric film that generates voltage when it detects pressure. The device can adjust the volume or change the channel on a TV in response to simply bending or twisting the film, and was exhibited at the Cutting Edge IT & Electronics Comprehensive Exhibition (CEATEC JAPAN 2011) held at the Makuhari Messe International Convention Center in Chiba from October 4 to 8, 2011.

The company has been studying energy-harvesting electricity generation since 2008, and has developed devices that convert pressure, vibration, temperature variation, and light into electricity. Equipped with a technology from EnOcean, a German venture specializing in battery-less wireless communication, these devices can sense and send, without batteries, several kinds of information, such as detection of a human presence, temperature, and the pushing of a button. The company intends to apply the technology to diverse fields by combining it with various applications.

Posted: 2012/02/22 06:00:15 AM