Open AccessA Review of Dielectric Elastomer Generator Systems
Author(s) -
Moretti Giacomo,
Rosset Samuel,
Vertechy Rocco,
Anderson Iain,
Fontana Marco
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced intelligent systems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2640-4567
DOI - 10.1002/aisy.202000125
Subject(s) - usable , elastomer , generator (circuit theory) , computer science , electrical engineering , electric generator , electricity , dielectric , dielectric elastomers , energy harvesting , electronics , engineering , power (physics) , materials science , physics , quantum mechanics , world wide web , composite material
Dielectric elastomer generator systems (DEGSs) are a class of electrostatic soft‐transducers capable of converting oscillating mechanical power from different sources into usable electricity. Over the past years, a diversity of DEGSs has been conceived, integrated, and tested featuring diverse topologies and implementation characteristics tailored on different applications. Herein, the recent advances on DEGSs are reviewed and illustrated in terms of design of hardware architectures, power electronics, and control, with reference to the different application targets, including large‐scale systems such as ocean wave energy converters, and small‐scale systems such as human motion or ambient vibration energy harvesters. Finally, challenges and perspectives for the advancement of DEGSs are identified and discussed.