Energy Harvesting Schemes for Wearable Devices

For the specifications of Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs), eHealth systems, and wearable devices, batteries are not desirable. They maximize the sensor nodes’ size and need to be replaced every few years through human interference. Energy harvesting is now being studied as the primary source of electricity for wearable devices. Several initiatives have succeeded in using energy harvesting to operate the wearable devices’ electronic components. However, to rely primarily on energy harvesting in wearable devices, some obstacles need to be addressed. This work surveys the development of various energy harvesting methodologies utilized to drive wearable devices. The addressed harvesters are piezoelectric, glucose biofuel cell, triboelectric generators, thermoelectric generators, solar cells, and radio frequency (RF) harvesters. The advantages, disadvantages, and challenges of the addressed harvesters are mentioned. The application of the harvesters in invivo experiments is also discussed. © 2021 Elsevier GmbH