Title: Compute-proximal Energy Harvesting for Mobile Environments: Fundamentals, Applications, and Tools

Jung Wook Park

Ph.D. Candidate in Computer Science

School of Interactive Computing

Georgia Institute of Technology

https://www.jungwook.com/

Date: Monday, November 29, 2021

Time: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST

Location(Remote via BlueJeans): https://bluejeans.com/4043881358

Committee:

Dr. Gregory D. Abowd (Co-Advisor), College of Engineering, Northeastern University / School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Rosa I. Arriaga (Co-Advisor), School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. W. Keith Edwards, School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Thad E. Starner, School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. HyunJoo Oh, School of Interactive Computing & School of Industrial Design, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Abdelsalam (Sumi) Helal, Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering, University of Florida 

Abstract:

Over the past two decades, we have witnessed remarkable achievements in computing, sensing, actuating, and communications capabilities of ubiquitous computing applications. However, due to the limitations in stable energy supply, it is still challenging to make the applications ubiquitous. Batteries have been considered a promising technology for this problem, but their low energy density and sluggish innovation have constrained the utility and expansion of ubiquitous computing. Two key techniques—energy harvesting and power management—have been studied as an alternative to overcome the battery limitations. Compared to static environments such as homes or buildings, there would be more energy harvesting opportunities in mobile environments since ubiquitous systems can generate various forms of energy as they move. Most of the previous studies in this regard have been focused on human movements for wearable computing, and other mobile environments (e.g., cars, motorcycles, and bikes) have received limited attention.

In this thesis, I present a class of energy harvesting approaches called compute-proximal energy harvesting, which allows us to consider developing energy harvesting technology where computing, sensing, and actuating are needed in vehicles. Computing includes sensing phenomena, executing instructions, actuating components, storing information, or communication. Proximal indicates the consideration of harvesting energy available around the specific location where there is a need for computation, reducing the need for excessive wiring. A primary goal of this new approach is to mitigate the effort associated with the installation and field deployment of self-sustained computing and further lower the barriers to entry for developing self-sustainable systems for vehicles. In this thesis, I first select an automobile as a promising case study and discuss the opportunities, challenges, and design guidelines of compute-proximal energy harvesting with practical yet advanced examples in the automotive domain. Secondly, I present research work in the design of small-scale wind energy harvesters and the implementation and evaluation of two advanced safety sensing systems—a blind spot monitoring system and a lane detection system—with the harvested power from wind. Finally, I conduct a study to democratize the lessons learned from the automotive case studies for makers and people with no prior experience in energy harvesting technology. In this study, I seek to understand what problems they have encountered and what possible solutions they have considered while dealing with energy harvesting technology. Based on the findings, I develop a comprehensive energy harvesting toolkit and examine its utility, usability, and creativity through a series of workshops.