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Electrostatic power harvesting for material computing

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Abstract

We describe a novel wearable energy-harvesting system based on the phenomenon of contact electrification: when two materials are brought into contact and then separated, they are often found to be charged. By patterning circuits out of textiles with specific electronic properties, we can collect and channel these transferred charges to power-harvesting circuitry. As a demonstration of this principle, we have designed and built a garment to display the wearer’s ongoing level of physical activity by powering strings of LEDs using only the energy generated in the garment’s motion. Finally, the methods we describe are not limited to textiles but are applicable to material computing in general.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Lenny Foner for lending his sewing machine in a time of need; to Sandra Waal for her sewing skills and moral support; to Wil Howitt for many interesting discussions; and to Christine Liu, Lisa Monrose and Amanda Parkes for organizing the Seamless v.3 fashion show that initially motivated this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Asteism, Inc, 37 Lee Street, Suite #1, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    E. Rehmi Post & Kit Waal

  2. MIT Center for Bits and Atoms, 20 Ames Street, Room E15-401, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    E. Rehmi Post

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  1. E. Rehmi Post
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  2. Kit Waal
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Correspondence to E. Rehmi Post.

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Post, E.R., Waal, K. Electrostatic power harvesting for material computing. Pers Ubiquit Comput 15, 115–121 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-010-0313-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-010-0313-9

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