Energy scavenging system utilising MEMS switch for power management

A novel light energy scavenging system is presented, which employs a MEMS switch as the gate driver of a MOSFET in a power management circuit, for scavenging energy in ultra-low light condition. Measurements show that, in a 5lx illumination condition, the wireless temperature sensor node powered by a palm-size solar cell array can autonomously transmit RF data to a receiver 20 m away every 9 minutes. The experimental results demonstrate the most sensitive energy scavenging system ever reported, and offer great potential for realising practical self-sustaining wireless devices.