InComEss gathering in Tampere, Finland

The last week of September marked an exciting event, the Month 42 InComEss Consortium Meeting in Tampere, Finland. InComEss experts gathered at Tampere University on 28th September to share and discuss their scientific progress and accomplishments.

The project still has a few months to go before it is completed, but the list of outcomes is already highly significant. The consortium developed a piezoelectric generator (PEG) energy harvesting system that is able to harvest mechanical vibrations and generate electricity. To assess its operation, the PEG powered a conditioner circuit and wireless MEMS sensors in a laboratory-scale demonstration. Furthermore, the developed miniaturized Fiber Optic Sensing (FOS) interrogator with wireless communication technology is ready for use in the aeronautic and building demo activities. Progress was also made in achieving low-energy consumption for wireless fuel level sensors while the monitoring of these sensors through an Internet of Things (IoT) gateway was also successfully implemented.

And we haven’t even mentioned yet that despite that the energy harvesting systems are on track for further demonstrations, partners that are responsible for the use-cases (FOCCHI, SONACA, MARELLI) and other consortium members (CENTI, AIMEN, PHOTONFIRST, SMART-MATERIAL, TAMPERE UNIVERSITY, ICCS) are steadfastly focused on achieving impactful results. The focus is in the following areas:

• The piezoelectric Energy Harvesting system will be demonstrated in the aeronautic and building use-cases taking advantage of the mechanical vibrations available in both scenarios. The generated energy will be used to power FOS (fibre optic sensors) wirelessly for SHM (Structural Health Monitoring).

• The thermoelectric Energy Harvesting system will be demonstrated in the automotive scenario benefiting from the thermal waste in the rear muffler to be converted into electrical energy for powering wireless fuel level sensors which will be integrated in an IoT platform for monitoring.

Finally, the recyclability and life cycle analysis of the InComEss energy generators and supercapacitors are currently underway and are expected to be completed within the next few months.

The close collaboration among partners will continue online until the next face-to-face meeting scheduled for the beginning of next year that will also mark the conclusive meeting for our research project.