To study migrating birds, engineers have been developing a sensor-loaded backpack that would power itself with vibrations produced by flight. A special ceramic material would convert those vibrations into electricity.
The Parts
A) System battery
B) Piezoelectric energy harvester & wireless communications antenna
C) Circuit board with sensors, radio, memory, clock, and microcontroller
D) Leg-loop harness
Source: Michael Shafer of Northern Arizona University and Ephrahim Garcia of Cornell University
This article originally appeared in the February 2014 issue of Popular Science.