Energy Harvesting For Wearable Devices: A Review

TLDR: A comprehensive classification of different energy sources that can be capitalized to power wearable devices is presented, which deals with the key challenges that must be considered in the development of autonomous wearable devices for telemedicine applications.

Abstract: In recent years, wearable devices have attracted attention because of their ability to enhance the quality of life. This disruptive technology has helped healthcare professionals with intervening early in chronic diseases, especially amongst independently living patients, and has facilitated real-time monitoring of patients’ vital signs remotely. One of the major bottlenecks that hamper the adoption of wearable device is the continuous power supply. Most wearable devices solely depend on battery supply. When the energy stored in the battery is depleted, the operation of wearable devices is affected. To overcome this limitation, efficient energy harvesters for wearable devices are crucial. The paper primarily aims to present a comprehensive classification of different energy sources that can be capitalized to power wearable devices. In addition, this research paper deals with the key challenges that must be considered in the development of autonomous wearable devices for telemedicine applications with a proposed system design for wearable device that uses energy harvesting technology.