A linear-to-rotary hybrid nanogenerator for high-performance wearable biomechanical energy harvesting

Abstract Harvesting biomechanical energy from low-frequency human body motions is a challenging but promising approach to powering the future wearables. Herein, we report a linear-to-rotary hybrid nanogenerator (LRH-NG) to effectively harvest low-frequency body biomechanical energy via a frequency enhancement strategy. Remarkably, the generated current and voltage by the LRH-NG from human body movement are respectively enhanced up to 3.1 times and 3.6 times of that at the basic frequency (2 Hz). Furthermore, the LRH-NG was demonstrated as an on-body electricity generator that can sustainably power a body area network with a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor for personalized health care. The designed LRH-NG may open up a new approach for high-performance low-frequency wearable biomechanical energy harvesting as a sustainable and pervasive energy solution in the era of the Internet of things.