Publication
Wireless power transmission and energy harvesting techniques could be used to power and operate devices in, on and around
the human body. However, near-field power transmission approaches are limited by distance, and the efficiency of far-field
radiofrequency methods is limited by the body shadowing effect. Here, we show that the body-coupling characteristics of electromagnetic
waves—which are either artificially introduced or present in the immediate surroundings—can be used to enable a
power transmission and energy harvesting method that offers power to locations all around the body. The body-coupled power
transmission exhibits a path loss 30- to 70-dB lower than far-field radiofrequency transmission in the presence of body shadowing.
The system can recover 2 μW at the head from an ~1.2-mW transmitter placed 160 cm away at the ankle. In the absence
of an active power transmitter, we demonstrate placement-independent scavenging of ambient electromagnetic waves coupled
onto the human body, resulting in a power recovery of ~2.2 μW from electromagnetic waves of up to −10-dBm on the body.
Researcher/Author: Jiamin Li, Yilong Dong, Jeong Hoan Park and Jerald Yoo
Nature Electronics, 10.1038/s41928-021-00592-y; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41928-021-00592-y
Researcher/Author: Jiamin Li, Yilong Dong, Jeong Hoan Park and Jerald Yoo
Nature Electronics, 10.1038/s41928-021-00592-y; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41928-021-00592-y