Summary: Autonomous sensors transmit data and power their electronics without using cables. They can be found in e.g. wireless sensor networks (WSNs) or remote acquisition systems. Although primary batteries provide a simple design for powering autonomous sensors, they present several limitations such as limited capacity and power density, and difficulty in predicting their condition and state of charge. An alternative is to extract energy from the ambient (energy harvesting). However, the reduced dimensions of most autonomous sensors lead to a low level of available power from the energy transducer. Thus, efficient methods and circuits to manage and gather the energy are a must.

An integral approach for powering autonomous sensors by considering both primary batteries and energy harvesters is presented. Two rather different forms of energy harvesting are also dealt with: optical (or solar) and radiofrequency (RF). Optical energy provides high energy density, especially outdoors, whereas RF remote powering is possibly the most feasible option for autonomous sensors embedded into the soil or within structures. Throughout different chapters, devices such as primary and secondary batteries, supercapacitors, and energy transducers are extensively reviewed. Then, circuits and methods found in the literature used to efficiently extract and gather the energy are presented. Finally, new proposals based on the authors� own research are analyzed and tested. Every chapter is written to be rather independent, with each incorporating the relevant literature references.

Powering Autonomous Sensors is intended for a wide audience working on or interested in the powering of autonomous sensors. Researchers and engineers can find a broad introduction to basic topics in this interesting and emerging area as well as further insights on the topics of solar and RF harvesting and of circuits and methods to maximize the power extracted from energy transducers.

Summary: The Smart Materials Sector of the Materials Knowledge Transfer Network and the Smart Materials and Systems Committee of the IOM3 are offering a one-day workshop that will look at the current challenges for materials in energy harvesting applications.

The aim of the workshop is to discuss the current challenges to the intelligent utilisation of energy harvesting technology on a wider basis and to identify potential projects that might meet those challenges. The current approach is to develop electronics typically to rectify the oscillatory charge produced by a piezoelectric harvester and to store the resultant rectified signal on a supercapacitor, battery or other storage material. In this one-day workshop we aim to discard this traditional approach and to explore some very new and innovative solutions and concepts concerning efficient and useful utilisation of the scavenged energy.

Keynote talks will be given by leaders in their fields covering, efficient electronic rectification, a holistic systems approach to energy harvesting, modelling of complex electro-mechanical systems, low power and low costs EH technology and more.

For further details of the workshop please contact:
Dr Steve Morris: Tel: 07855 326599
Prof Markys Cain: Tel. 020 8943 6599

Summary: The Noise in Physical System Laboratory organizes the 2010 NiPS Summer School devoted to Energy Harvesting at micro and nanoscale. The school, supported by the EC Fet Proactive project NANOPOWER, is open to graduate students, post-docs, young researchers and in general to all the scientists that are interested in the physical foundations of energy harvesting at micro and nanoscale.

School Lecturers
Gabriel Abadal (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, SP)
Salvatore Baglio (Università di Catania, IT)
István Bársony (MTA-MFA, HU)
Adi Bulsara (SPAWAR San Diego, USA)
Markus Buttiker (University of Geneve, CH)
Giorgos Fagas (Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, IE)
Vittorio Ferrari (Università di Brescia, IT)
Fabio Marchesoni (Università di Camerino, IT)
Douglas Paul (University of Glasgow, UK)
Miguel Rubì (Univesitat de Barcelona, SP)
Helios Vocca (Wisepower srl, IT)
Lukas Worshech (University of Würzburg, DE)
Clivia Sotomayor Torres (Catalan Institute of Nanotechnology, SP)

School Contents
Energy harvesting, fundamental physical aspects
Non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, an introduction
Linear and non-linear random vibration harvesting
Thermoelectric efficiency
Fundaments of non-linear stochastic dynamics
Noise rectification
Phonon engineering
MEMS/NEMS design and realization
Micro/Nano devices for energy harvesting
Future technological trends: Beyond CMOS technology and Energy Efficiency

further info available on the web site