''We know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns - the ones we don't know we don't know.''

—— Donald Rumsfeld

People have been investigating and developing a huge number of types of energy harvesters, for the efficient energy conversion of sunlight, heat, movement, etc. to usable electricity. We are hoping one day our electronic devices, the wireless sensor networks in the buildings and cities, and even our vehicles and houses, can be independent of batteries, fossil fuels or mains power.

Now, I find a single material to be able to harvest three types of energy simultaneously!

My science pitching in the Skolar Award in Slush 2018, 5th December 2018, Helsinki

Featured research project

NextGEnergy: Next Generation Power Sources for Self-sustainable Devices - Integrated Multi-source Energy Harvesters

This project is funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No ''705437''.

What does harvesting energy mean to your daily life? Listen to my talk for general public on the Pecha Kucha of the European Researchers' Night on 29th September 2017 in Oulu, Finland.

Vibration (kinetic) energy is everywhere. Piezoelectric materials are able to convert mechanical energy into electricity and vice versa. With a piezoelectric energy harvester, the ambient kinetic energy can be converted into usable electricity for low power consumption sensors and small-scale electronic devices.

Are you confident enough to challenge yourself to present your several years' research in just 3 minutes to a general public? Listen to what I have done in the 2014 Three Minute Thesis final of University of Birmingham.

Would you like to get to know the research field of energy harvesting? Listen to my lecture given in Aalto University, Finland.