Harvesting Energy for Wireless Sensor Networks

A key aim of the Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) program is the development of enhanced remote sensing capabilities that provide commanders with improved situational awareness and battlefield shaping capabilities, while reducing potential casualties and manpower costs. Future Army WSN mission applications will utilize persistent wireless sensor networks to provide commanders with continuous surveillance to detect, target, and respond to enemy activity. To achieve this goal of persistent surveillance, Army WSN applications will need access to “persistent” power supplies. Current battery technologies can not provide this capability. The Army’s challenge is to extend the benefits of wireless sensor networks while reducing or eliminating the operational lifetime limitations caused by battery depletion. Its opportunity is to develop self-sustaining WSN capabilities that eliminate the need for battery replacement. Ambient Micro has developed a Multi-Source Ambient Power Supply (MS-AMPS) technology that efficiently combines ambient solar, vibration, thermoelectric, and RF electromagnetic energy to extend the operating life of selected wireless devices indefinitely. Ambient Micro proposes to develop a multi-source energy harvesting power supply to indefinitely extend the operating life of Army wireless sensor networks. The long term goal will be to develop of a new class of battery-less wireless sensor networks, devices, and applications.