Energy harvesting from the human leg motion

Kinetic energy harvested from the human body motion seems to be one of the most attractive and convenient solution for wearable wireless sensors in healthcare applications. Due to their small size, such sensors typically have a very limited battery-powered lifetime. Therefore, frequent sensor recharge or replacement is required to maintain reliable data connectivity. Integrated micro-harvesters can prolong the operational lifetime of these sensors. This positively impacts their usability and can significantly help with their commercial applications such as remote vital sign monitoring. Our objective, in this paper, is to investigate the amount of harvestable kinetic energy from normal everyday human leg motion. Statistical analysis of leg motion measurements taken from 30 test subjects over a period of 8 hours during their daily activities is provided. This information along with the operational architecture of the harvesting device is used to obtain the distribution of harvestable energy. The results of such research can determine whether kinetic energy generated by typical human leg motion could be a promising supplemental energy resource that prolongs the operational lifetime of wearable medical sensors.