Upper Bounds for Energy Harvesting in the Region of the Human Head

• Published in: IEEE transactions on biomedical engineering Vol. 58; no. 11; pp. 3097 - 3103
• Main Authors: Goll, Erich, Zenner, Hans-Peter, Dalhoff, Ernst
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.11.2011; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Auditory system; Basal Metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical engineering; Cochlear Implants; Computerized, statistical medical data processing and models in biomedicine; Diseases of the ear; Electric Power Supplies; Electromagnetic Radiation; Energy conservation; Energy harvesting; Energy Transfer; Ent and stomatology; Generators; Head; Head - physiology; Hearing; hearing implant; Human; human head; Humans; maximum power; Medical sciences; Meetings; Models and simulation; Models, Theoretical; Movement; Radio Waves; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Renewable Energy; Skin; Skin Temperature; Solar Energy; Supplying; Thermodynamics; Upper bound; Upper bounds; Human; Motive power; hearing implant; Head; Instrumentation therapy; Energy recovery; Energy harvesting; Modeling; Auditive prosthesis; Thermal energy; human head; Energy supply; Hearing; Upper bound; Electromagnetic power; Cochlear implant; Biomedical engineering; maximum power
• ISSN: 0018-9294; 1558-2531
• DOI: 10.1109/TBME.2011.2163407

This paper investigates different approaches for supplying power to implantable hearing systems via energy harvesting. Because of the specific nature of the problem, only energy harvesting in the region of the human head is considered. Upper bounds as well as more conservative estimations for harvesting mechanical, thermal, and electromagnetic energy are presented and discussed.