[Paper Review] Paving the Path to a Green and Self-Powered Internet of Things

Mahyar Shirvanimoghaddam, Kamyar Shirvanimoghaddam+6 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Dec 4, 2017

Innovative Energy Harvesting Technologies100 references19 citations

TL;DR

This paper proposes energy harvesting—particularly vibration-based piezoelectric harvesting—as a sustainable power solution for self-powered Internet of Things (IoT) devices. By leveraging advanced piezoelectric materials with enhanced electrical properties, the approach enables long-term, maintenance-free operation in hard-to-access environments, significantly extending device lifetime beyond battery-dependent models.

ABSTRACT

Internet of things (IoT) represents one of the biggest technology trends, which transforms every physical object to an information source and revolutionizes the way we interact with our surroundings. It aims to create an ecosystem of connected objects and provide ubiquitous connectivity between trillions of multi-role devices, such as sensors and actuators. Although recent advancements in miniaturization of devices with higher computational capabilities and ultra-low power communication technologies have enabled the vast deployment of sensors and actuators everywhere, such an evolution calls for fundamental changes in hardware design, software, network architecture, data analytic, data storage and power sources. A large portion of IoT devices cannot be powered by batteries only anymore, as they will be installed in hard to reach areas and regular battery replacement and maintenance is infeasible. A viable solution is to use energy harvesting techniques to harvest energy from environment and provide enough energy to the devices to perform their operations. This will significantly increase the device life time and eliminate the need for the battery as an energy source. This survey aims at providing a comprehensive study on energy harvesting techniques as alternative and promising solutions to power IoT devices. We present the main design challenges of IoT devices in terms of energy and power and provide design considerations for a successful implementations of self-powered IoT devices. We then specifically focus on vibration energy harvesting techniques using piezoelectric materials and briefly present a newly developed piezoelectric materials with enhanced electrical properties.

Motivation & Objective

• Address the growing challenge of powering trillions of IoT devices in inaccessible locations where battery replacement is impractical.
• Overcome limitations of traditional battery-powered IoT systems by enabling continuous, sustainable energy supply through environmental energy harvesting.
• Provide a comprehensive analysis of energy harvesting techniques, with a focus on piezoelectric materials for vibration energy harvesting.
• Identify key design challenges in hardware, software, network architecture, and data management for self-powered IoT systems.
• Present design considerations and material advancements to enable viable, long-term deployment of energy-harvesting IoT devices.

Proposed method

• Surveyed existing energy harvesting techniques, with a specific focus on vibration energy harvesting using piezoelectric materials.
• Analyzed the energy requirements and power constraints of IoT devices to identify viable energy harvesting solutions.
• Evaluated the performance of conventional piezoelectric materials and highlighted recent advancements in materials with enhanced electrical properties.
• Discussed system-level integration challenges, including power management, data processing, and network communication in low-power environments.
• Provided design guidelines for hardware and software components to optimize energy efficiency and system longevity.
• Proposed a framework for implementing self-powered IoT devices by combining energy harvesting with ultra-low-power electronics and communication protocols.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How can energy harvesting techniques, particularly vibration-based piezoelectric harvesting, enable long-term, battery-free operation of IoT devices?
• RQ2 What are the primary hardware, software, and architectural challenges in designing self-powered IoT systems?
• RQ3 What material advancements in piezoelectric materials significantly improve energy conversion efficiency for IoT applications?
• RQ4 How can energy harvesting be integrated into IoT system design to ensure reliable and continuous operation in remote or inaccessible environments?
• RQ5 What design considerations are essential for achieving optimal energy efficiency and system longevity in self-powered IoT deployments?

Key findings

• Vibration energy harvesting using piezoelectric materials offers a viable, sustainable alternative to batteries for powering IoT devices in remote or inaccessible locations.
• Recent developments in piezoelectric materials have led to enhanced electrical properties, significantly improving energy conversion efficiency and output power.
• Self-powered IoT devices can achieve extended operational lifetimes by eliminating the need for battery replacement, especially in environments where maintenance is infeasible.
• System-level integration of energy harvesting with ultra-low-power electronics and communication protocols enables reliable, continuous operation without external power sources.
• Design challenges in power management, data processing, and network architecture must be addressed to ensure scalability and reliability of self-powered IoT ecosystems.
• The transition to energy harvesting-based power sources is essential for enabling the widespread, sustainable deployment of trillions of IoT devices.