ERI: Bio-inspired Bistable Stochastic Energy Harvesting for Self-powered Smart Tires

This NSF ERI project aims to enable self-powered smart tire systems by harvesting electricity from vibrations generated by tire rotation, road roughness, and vehicle loading to support onboard sensing and communication. Modern vehicles, particularly autonomous and connected systems, increasingly rely on tire-embedded sensors for monitoring pressure, traction, and driving conditions. However, conventional battery-powered monitoring faces challenges when batteries deplete, requiring periodic replacement. With millions of vehicles in the U.S., each having four tires, this leads to substantial electronic waste and environmental degradation. This project will transform current limitations by introducing a bio-inspired bistable energy harvester that converts tire vibrations into electrical power, extending battery life and potentially eliminating replacement. The approach leverages bistable nonlinear dynamics and rotational effects to continuously adjust operating conditions for efficient energy conversion. The intellectual merit includes advancing the fundamental understanding of bio-inspired design, nonlinear dynamics, stochastic resonance, and coupled electromechanical behavior in rotating systems. The interdisciplinary research integrates mechanical engineering, energy conversion, materials science, and dynamics to develop design principles for broadband energy harvesting. The broader impacts include improving the sustainability and reliability of intelligent transportation systems, reducing battery waste and environmental impact, and enabling future autonomous vehicles that require continuous sensing and communication. The outcomes also extend to self-powered sensing and monitoring in a broad range of rotational systems, including aerospace platforms, robotics, maritime systems, and smart manufacturing. The project incorporates education and outreach through hands-on research experiences, curriculum integration, and K-12 engagement to strengthen the future workforce in STEM. The overarching goal of this project is to investigate bio-inspired bistable nonlinear dynamics and hybrid energy conversion mechanisms to enable broadband vibration energy harvesters (VEHs) in rotational systems. Conventional VEHs are limited by narrow frequency bandwidths, whereas ambient vibrations are inherently wideband. Additionally, centrifugal forces in rotational systems introduce dynamic complexity that can suppress energy harvesting efficiency. To overcome these challenges, this project explores bio-inspired nonlinear designs and hybrid energy transduction, leveraging centrifugal forces to dynamically tune resonance and enhance power output. The research objectives include: (1) developing and optimizing a hybrid piezoelectric-electromagnetic bistable VEH; (2) constructing theoretical and computational models for nonlinear dynamics in rotating systems; and (3) achieving self-tuned resonance through centrifugal-force-induced adaptability to maintain broadband performance. The methodology combines bio-inspired design, modeling, numerical simulation, controlled experiments, and on-road validation. The expected contributions include new theoretical frameworks for nonlinear VEHs and practical technologies capable of enabling battery-free, high-reliability sensing and communication. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2552452 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Feng Qian | Institution: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park, UNIVERSITY PARK, PA | Award Amount: $199,975 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2552452 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2552452.html