Magnetoelectrical Clothing Generator for High‐Performance Transduction from Biomechanical Energy to Electricity

Abstract

Electromagnetism, which has been used to harvest energy from human motion, is expected to power an increasing number of wearable electronic devices upon fabrics. However, most reported electromagnetism-based approaches necessitate rigid and heavy setups. Here, a scalable-manufactured flexible magnetoelectrical clothing generator is demonstrated that can generate electricity through the swinging of the arms. A "particle flow spinning" (PFS) method can produce continuous magnetic yarns, resulting in a magnetic fabric through an industrial weaving machine. Fabrics can be prepared in large quantities and have a lower cost. The magnetic fabrics and conductive wires are built on two sides of the armpit parts of the clothing, leading to continuous and stable voltage and current when swinging arm, 14.3 V peak voltage, 31.2 mA peak current, and 96 mW peak power (3197 mW m −2 peak power density) in series to a low-impedance load (750 ohms). Furthermore, the magnetic fabrics can work under water without sealing treatment, in acidic/alkaline environments or at extreme temperatures. The magnetoelectrical clothing generator can power diverse electronic devices in many fields, such as LED lights, calculators, wireless communication, and health monitoring devices. This approach opens a path toward exploring electromagnetic energy harvesting strategies to realize power generation for the development of clothing electronics.

Fabric computing: Concepts, opportunities, and challenges

“…Such an advantage allows different materials to express the characteristics of the fiber in different ways. 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 Ultimately, it will realize various functions, such as human physiological signal monitoring, 26 , 27 human activity recognition, 17 , 28 and so on.…”

“…Ferromagnetic fabrics and coils have been sewn on both sides of a garment for swinging motion-based electricity generation. 23 However, many more research efforts are highly desired to improve energy conversion efficiency, output stability, robustness.…”

Imperceptible, designable, and scalable braided electronic cord

“…The concept of multifunctional fibers 18 , 19 and flexible electronic sensors 20 – 26 with flexible mechanics, comfort, and embedded machine learning algorithms 27 poses a possible solution to address the aforementioned difficulties. In order to serve human life to the greatest extent, a flexible electronic sensor should be ultimately adapted to form factors that humans are living with, such as textiles.…”

Smart textiles for human–machine interface fabricated via a facile on-site vapor-phase polymerization

“…The rapid development of new artificial intelligence technology in recent years has aroused enthusiasm for research into body-conformable electronic devices. Various flexible electronic devices, such as transducers, 1,2 sensors, 3–5 light-emitting devices, 6,7 and stretchable electronic circuits 8,9 have been integrated into fabrics, enriching the field of wearable electronics. In particular, wearable sensors that act as a communication interface between living organisms and external machines while realizing data collection, information transmission, and interaction are highly demanded.…”