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With the advancement of internet of things and wireless sensing technology, the need for personnel track and position monitoring are greatly increasing. Commercial global positioning system (GPS) and Global system for mobile communications (GSM) position methods cannot meet the demand for low power consumption and three‐dimensional indoor position monitoring. Herein, a self‐powered position monitoring system (SPMS) based on an insole‐type wearable triboelectric nanogenerator (IW‐TENG) and Bluetooth beacon for human kinetic energy harvesting and sustainable position monitoring is proposed. The SPMS consists of an insole‐type wearable triboelectric nanogenerator, an energy management module (EMM), and a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacon module. Benefitting from the multilayers structure, a maximum energy of 120 µJ per step can be harvested by the IW‐TENG with EMM for a typical adult. By every 3–4 steps, SPMS can transmit Bluetooth signals to obtain the location information. A single BLE signal transmission consumes only 136 µJ, and the transmission distance can reach 100 m. The SPMS is applied to intelligent attendance in office rooms and shows great prospects in intelligent navigation and trajectory tracking in local area network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of various environmental renewable energy is an important way to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality. Most current multisource energy harvesters are achieved by integrating several single generators with independent structures and discrete mechanisms. Here, a multisource energy harvester (MEH) is proposed which can simultaneously collect raindrop, solar, and thermal energy with coupling structure and multiplexing mechanism. The MEH uses metal to connect n‐type and p‐type silicon coated with indium tin oxide (ITO) into a π‐type structure, and then cover the ITO surface with a layer of PTFE film. With this compact and coupled configuration, the triboelectric, photovoltaic, and thermoelectric effects can all contribute to the power generation by the multiplexed function elements and communal electrodes. The average power density of the MEH can reach 4.44 mW m−2. Moreover, the power supply ability of the array MEH has been demonstrated by charging capacitors and driving electronics. This work designed a highly integrated multisource energy harvester, providing a promising solution for energy supply in complex natural environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the coupling effect of contact electrification and electrostatic induction, the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) as an emerging energy technology can effectively harvest mechanical energy from the ambient environment. However, due to its inherent property of large impedance, the TENG shows high voltage, low current and limited output power, which cannot satisfy the stable power supply requirements of conventional electronics. As the interface unit between the TENG and load devices, the power management circuit can perform significant functions of voltage and impedance conversion for efficient energy supply and storage. Here, a review of the recent progress of switching power management for TENGs is introduced. Firstly, the fundamentals of the TENG are briefly introduced. Secondly, according to the switch types, the existing power management methods are summarized and divided into four categories: travel switch, voltage trigger switch, transistor switch of discrete components and integrated circuit switch. The switch structure and power management principle of each type are reviewed in detail. Finally, the advantages and drawbacks of various switching power management circuits for TENGs are systematically summarized, and the challenges and development of further research are prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]