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A French Technology Transfer Office proposes a flexible energy harvester

Country of Origin: France
Reference Number: TOFR20180323001
Publication Date: 28 March 2018

Summary

A French TTO (Technology Transfer Office) is acting on behalf of an established public laboratory of the Paris region that has developed a flexible device able to convert mechanical energy into electricity with a finger tapping activation. This technology could be useful for powering or improving batteries lifetime for healthcare devices, transportation or electronic systems.
The French public research centre is looking for partners for a technical cooperation or a license cooperation.

Description

The French TTO (Technology Transfer Office) is acting on behalf of an established public laboratory of the leading French scientific based in the Paris region. 

Embedded systems and wireless sensors have been recently gaining importance. To operate these devices several vibration-based energy harvesters have been developed, such as piezoelectric, electromagnetic, and electrostatic energy harvesters.

The innovation is based on a new approach : the triboelectric effect (some frictional contacts charge electricity). This new technology is able to generate electric power from mechanical deformation when repeatedly pressed and released by an external mechanical action.
The device has a sandwich structure, with flexible or solid electrodes on the surface and with a specific material core.

The first 3cmx3cm prototype reaches a peak voltage of 27 V and a power of 45.6 μW with a finger tapping activation.

It can be used to power various Internet of Things (IoT) devices, ranging from smart clothes, second-skin biomedical sensors, semi-active RFID systems, strain or pressure sensors (for car wheels for example).

The partner sought should be a company interested in :
- a license agreement as the TTO is ready to negotiate directly the patents rights for specific applications, or
- a technical cooperation agreement
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Advantages and Innovations

The advantages of this technology are:
- flexible or solid, depending on use case and environment
- working at any mechanical frequency
- long standing electric charge storage

Performance can be further largely enhanced by optimizing triboelectric effect, increasing the size of the device and/or by using it under different conditions (higher mechanical frequencies, more pressure).

Stage Of Development

Prototype available for demonstration

Requested partner

The TTO targets:
-any electronics industrial partner wishing to work in the flexible electronics sector
-any polymer industrial partner wishing to work on smart polymer devices and interested in joining the electronics field.

The TTO is interested in a license agreement or a technical cooperation agreement.
The agreement for technical cooperation could be launched to carry out research on specific applications.

Cooperation offer ist closed for requests