Feb 18, 2021 |
Energy-harvesting nanogenerator technology to make roads safer
(Nanowerk News) Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are an emerging technology that harvests the freely available mechanical energy from daily human activities.
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In a study published by Nano Energy ("Natural silk-composite enabled versatile robust triboelectric nanogenerators for smart applications"), engineers from the University of Surrey reveal how they used recycled plastic cups and silk cocoon waste to develop a soft and skin-friendly self-powered sensor, which can be used to sense human activities.
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When coupled with an AI system and applied in a car setting, the smart sensor could flag potentially dangerous driving trends, including slow brake reaction times. The highly flexible and biocompatible sensor could either be used as a wearable item on clothing or placed within the fabric of the steering wheel, horn, gear stick and brake pedal.
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In tests, it provided real-time feedback on the driver's actions, which allowed the AI system to compute performance.
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Dr Bhaskar Dudem, principal author of the study and Research Fellow at the University of Surrey's Advanced Technology Institute, said: "We are all excited by how AI will influence future consumer electronics, but this future must also be friendly to our planet's environment. Our recycled silk-based smart sensor technology is a hint of what the future holds and, with support from industry, we believe we can soon bring it to market."
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Professor Ravi Silva, Director of the ATI and corresponding author, said: "Whilst in this example we tested our sensors to monitor driver behaviour, we believe the ideal application of the self-powered smart sensor technology is in future driverless cars and other Industry 4.0 automation systems. This eco-friendly cutting-edge project with international collaborators inspires us at the Advanced Technology Institute to keep inventing solutions to real-world problems faced by society."
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