Nonlinear noise harvesters for nanosensors

The nanosensor network is an interesting technology that promises a wide range of applications in human life. Nowadays a sensor node is typically battery powered and should operate without attendance for a relatively long period of time. Usually it is very difficult, or even impossible to change or recharge batteries. Moreover batteries are not a feasible solution at the nanoscale. In this paper we present a green alternative to power nanosensors, which consists of harvesting energy from the environment. We focus our attention on piezoelectric harvester capable to convert random environmental vibrations into electrical power. In particular we present an alternative method to gather energy from a wide frequency range based on the exploitation of nonlinear dynamics to enhance power production with respect to traditional linear kinetic harvesters.