Team 27
Team Members |
Faculty Advisor |
Shayaan Dabiran |
Necmi Biyikli Sponsor Dr. Mihai Duduta |
sponsored by
Harvesting Energy with a Dielectric Elastomer
The goal of this project is to design and develop a test system for dielectric elastomer generator (DEG) membranes capable of converting mechanical deformation into electrical energy. Dielectric elastomers act as variable capacitors, where stretching the material increases capacitance and relaxing it produces a rise in voltage, enabling energy generation. Our system integrates a mechanical stretching platform with a high-voltage electrical circuit to control, measure, and harvest this energy. The circuit captures voltage changes generated during cyclic deformation and transfers the energy into a storage capacitor. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the system successfully produces voltage spikes during operation and accumulates energy over time. This project highlights the potential of soft, flexible materials for energy harvesting applications in wearable electronics, soft robotics, and distributed sensing systems.