Valeria Nico

University of Limerick | UL · Stokes Research Institute

Electromagnetic vibrational energy harvesters (EM-VEHs) are generally used to convert ambient vibrations into electricity to energise low-power sensor nodes forming the Internet of Things (IoT). Usually such VEHs comprise of coils and magnets orientated in the vertical direction (z-direction) but these devices tend to be quite bulky and it is hard...

Microfluidic technology witnessed a fast growth in recent years thanks to its diverse nature that allows its use in a wide range of industries including microelectronics, aerospace, telecommunications, biomedical and pharmaceutical. One of the limiting issues for the implementation of microfluidics in high end electronics or biomedical devices is t...

Common vibrational energy harvesters are generally based on a linear mass spring oscillator model, and these typically show narrow bandwidth and high resonant frequency at small scales. To overcome these problems, a two-degree-of-freedom nonlinear velocity-amplified energy harvester has been developed. The device comprises two masses, relatively os...

Electromagnetic Vibration Energy Harvesting (EM-VEH) is an attractive alternative to batteries as a power source for wireless sensor nodes that enable intelligence at the edge of the Internet of Things (IoT). Industrial environments in particular offer an abundance of available kinetic energy, in the form of machinery vibrations that can be convert...

Conventional vibrational energy harvesters (VEHs) are generally based on a linear mass-spring oscillator model that features narrow bandwidth and high resonant frequencies at small scales. To overcome these limitations, a two-degree-of-freedom (2-Dof) velocity-amplified VEH was developed. The harvester comprises two masses, relatively oscillating o...

In recent years the use of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) has increased rapidly, enabled by the development of small and ultra-low power electronics. The majority of these sensors are battery powered, and this can lead to high maintenance costs when batteries have to be replaced. A practical solution to power sensor networks comes from kinetic ene...

Conventional vibration energy harvesters are generally based on linear mass-spring oscillator models. Major limitations with common designs are their narrow bandwidths and the increase of resonant frequency as the device is scaled down. To overcome these problems, a two-degree-of-freedom nonlinear velocity-amplified energy harvester has been develo...

Vibration energy harvesting extracts energy from the environment and can mitigate reliance on battery technology in wireless sensor networks. This article presents the nonlinear responses of two multi-mass vibration energy harvesters that employ a velocity amplification effect. This amplification is achieved by momentum transfer from larger to smal...

Small-scale vibration energy harvesters that respond efficiently at low frequencies are challenging to realize. This paper describes the design and implementation of one such harvester, which achieves a high volumetric Figure of Merit (FoMv = 2.6% at 11.50 Hz) at the scale of a C-type battery and outperforms other state-of-the-art devices in the su...

A two Degree-of-Freedom (2DoF) nonlinear electromagnetic energy harvester, which employs velocity amplification, with a volume of 26.7cm 3 and 25.6 cm3 (25.5mm diameter and 52.4mm height) is investigated in this work. These dimensions are very close to those of a C-battery (26.2mm diameter and 50mm length, for a volume of 27.8cm3), making the harve...

In recent years, the development of small and low power electronics has led to the deployment of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) that are largely used in military and civil applications. Vibrational energy harvesting can be used to power these sensors in order to obviate the costs of battery replacement. Vibrational energy harvesters (VEHs) are dev...

A 2DOF velocity amplified electromagnetic vibrational energy harvester is analyzed. The system consists of two masses, one larger than the other, oscillating relative to each other in response to external excitation. The large mass is designed with a centrally located cavity into which a second smaller mass is placed. This configuration allows the...

A two Degree of Freedom (2DOF) velocity-amplified electromagnetic vibrational energy harvester is presented. The device consists of two masses: a smaller mass which oscillates inside a larger one due to two sets of mechanical springs. The larger mass itself oscillates between two sets of springs. This configuration allows the larger mass to transfe...

Vibrational energy harvesters (VEHs) are devices which convert ambient vibrational energy into electrical power, offering an alternative to batteries for powering wireless sensors. Detailed experimental characterisation of a 2-degree-of-freedom (2-Dof) VEH is presented in Part A of this paper, while a theoretical analysis is completed in Part B. Th...

Vibrational energy harvesting has become relevant as a power source for the reduced power requirement of electronics used in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Vibrational energy harvesters (VEHs) are devices that can convert ambient kinetic energy into electrical energy using three principal transduction mechanisms: piezoelectric, electromagnetic an...