Variable-Capacitance Generators for Energy Harvesting from Body Movements Targeting Implantable Medical Devices

Batteries were the main power supply for implantable medical devices and sensor networks for years. New and emerging medical devices and treatments require more effective and long-lasting powering methods. A dominant solution is to harvest the required energy from body movements. However, this constitutes major challenges such as low frequency of the energy source and the limited available. MEMS compatibility, better performance in lower frequencies and in smaller available volumes are the main features that make variable-capacitance harvesters a promising candidate. In this research, different aspects of electrostatic generators are evaluated and two new variable-capacitance harvesters are proposed.