In-Ear Energy Harvesting: Evaluation of the Power Capability of the Temporomandibular Joint

Energy harvesting from human body motion is a promising source of power for future wearables and sensors. However, better knowledge on the power potentially available from each of the different types of human body motions is still required to develop efficient human-centered energy harvesting devices. This study investigates a method to evaluate the kinetic energy generated by the earcanal dynamic movements during the mastication of food. The wearable power sensing device, a hydraulic in-ear portable device, was developed for this study to measure the power associated with earcanal dynamic movements. The mean power was evaluated on six participants as they were eating. The results show that an average power of 26.2 mW is readily available in one earcanal from chewing an entire meal. This in-ear source of energy can ultimately be used to fully or partially power in-ear devices such as hearing aids, digital hearing protections, and emerging wearables technologies.