Abstract
This paper reports the first effort to generate power from a live insect (Cotinis nitida - Green June Beetle) during its tethered flight, by utilizing piezoelectric devices in the d31 bending mode to convert mechanical vibrations of a beetle into electrical output. We measured available deflection, force and power output from oscillatory movements at different locations on a beetle with an unmounted piezoelectric beam and showed that up to ~115 PW power generation is possible. Two initial generator prototypes were fabricated, mounted on a beetle, and harvested 11.5 PW and 7.5 PW in device volumes of 11.0 mm 3 and 5.6 mm 3 respectively, from 85 Hz-100 Hz wing strokes. A final prototype was designed to enable minimum disturbance of free-flight while maximizing power output. ANSYS simulations predict an output of 101.6 PW.
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