ETH researchers are developing a sensor that responds to words and does not require a battery

A sensor developed by researchers from Zurich uses energy from sound waves to control electronic devices. Such a sensor could be used to monitor buildings or earthquakes and thus save batteries, ETH Zurich announced on Monday.

According to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, sensors used today to monitor infrastructure require continuous power. The energy largely comes from batteries.

The new sensor, for which ETH researchers have already applied for a patent (see PDF), works without an external energy source.

When you speak a certain word or hear a tone or sound, the resulting sound waves cause the sensor to vibrate. This energy is enough to generate a small electrical pulse that turns on an electronic device that is turned off.

The sensor can distinguish between different words or tones.

The researchers led by Marc Serra-Garcia presented the principle behind this sensor in the journal ‘Advanced Functional Materials’.

The researchers have numerous applications in mind for their sensor. This would allow him to register whether a crack appears in a building or whether gas leaks from an oil well, as ETH Zurich writes in the statement.

According to Serra-Garcia, it could also be used in so-called cochlear implants. These prostheses for the deaf require continuous power for signal processing from batteries located behind the ear, where there is no room for large battery packs. According to ETH, those wearing such devices should therefore replace the batteries every 12 hours.

Serra-Garcia no longer works at ETH, but is continuously developing the mechanical sensors with his team at the Amolf public research center in the Netherlands. The goal is to have a solid prototype launched by 2027.

(dsc/sda)