Wang, Shangwen, Ma, Hongye, Ling, Peng, Pan, Xiagui, Wu, Zhangming  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7100-3282 and Yan, Bo
2026.
A seahorse-exoskeleton-inspired electromagnetic energy harvester with linear-to-rotation mechanism for low-frequency human motion energy harvesting.
Energy Conversion and Management
357
, 121424.
10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121424
|
Preview |
PDF
- Accepted Post-Print Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (3MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Many portable and wearable electronic devices still rely on heavy and bulky batteries, which limit mobility and practical deployment. Human motion energy harvesting offers a promising alternative, but efficient energy harvesting from low-frequency and impact excitations remains difficult. Therefore, we propose a seahorse-exoskeleton-inspired electromagnetic energy harvester (SE-EEH), which employs a linear-to-rotational transformation mechanism and a bidirectional drive structure inspired by the deformation of square cross-section of the seahorse exoskeleton to improve electromagnetic coupling capability. A dynamic model was established. The energy harvesting performance is validated numerically and experimentally. SE-EEH operates stably in low-frequency within 3–10 Hz and achieves 5 V and 0.25 W at 5 Hz. During outdoor running tests, SE-EEH produces a peak power of 1.3 W at the running speed of 9 km h⁻1. The root mean square (RMS) voltage and power reach 11.8 V and 4.6 W under impact excitation, which are sufficient to power 12 W LED lighting and charge portable electronics. SE-EEH provides a compact, lightweight, and efficient solution for harvesting low-frequency and impact-based human motion energy, offering strong potential for self-powered wearable and portable systems.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Publication |
| Status: | Published |
| Schools: | Schools > Engineering |
| Additional Information: | RRS policy applied |
| Publisher: | Elsevier BV |
| ISSN: | 0196-8904 |
| Date of First Compliant Deposit: | 15 April 2026 |
| Date of Acceptance: | 27 March 2026 |
| Last Modified: | 15 Apr 2026 09:00 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/186317 |
Actions (repository staff only)
 |
Edit Item |
Dimensions
Dimensions