Energy Harvesting for U.S. Army

Woodruff, Joshua; Fagerholm, Peter; Kean, Caitlin; Hess, Kaleigh; Postans, Kyle

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Energy Harvesting for U.S. Army

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In collaboration with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), this MQP team aimed to modify equipment worn by a soldier to be capable of providing power to external electronic components. Our prototype designs implemented triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) into the military footwear to capitalize on unused energy generated when walking. TENGs behave based on the triboelectric effect, which produces electrical power through the dynamic interaction of two triboelectric materials. This project’s multiple areas of focus were consolidated to produce an optimized final prototype. Researched rectification circuits were printed onto flexible substrates to output a linearized direct current from TENG input. An automated tester was constructed to provide consistent force for testing. Separate TENG iterations were constructed and tested to analyze the effect of spacing and surface contact between triboelectric materials. These areas of research and development allowed our team to improve prototypes and design our final prototype.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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