Vibration Energy Harvesting for Aerospace Applications

Abstract

The aerospace industry is actively seeking to employ wireless sensors for various data collection and structural health monitoring applications. While continued development of wireless sensors and sensor networks holds promise in the aerospace industry, the challenge of powering these sensors must still be addressed. Vibration energy harvesting is one possible approach in this regard, and is particularly promising for aerospace applications due to the ubiquitous presence of vibration energy. In this review paper the generic design considerations and challenges involved in harvesting energy from vibration energy are described. The paper also highlights recent progress addressing current challenges in adapting a vibration energy harvesting approach in a practical application, including resonance frequency tuning and design considerations for optimal energy harvesting performance. Recent progress in adapting this approach to the microscale using MEMS technology is also highlighted.