Hybrid thermoelectric generator adds solar panels to headset

Remember the EEG monitor powered by the headset-based thermoelectric generator that runs off the patient’s body temperature? Apparently there’s a drawback to relying solely on body-heat for energy harvesting when the ambient temperature approaches body temperature, which is what you can expect if a patient wears the monitor outside.

So the device’s developers at the Holst Centre incorporated photovoltaic panels into the generator, increasing the generator’s overall efficiency and lightening the weight. The solar cells also act as radiators for the thermoelectric generator.

The system uses IMEC’s proprietary biopotential readout IC  to extract and process the EEG signals , which are sent to a PC via a 2.4GHz wireless radio link. The EEG system consumes only 0.8mW; The generator can provide more than 1mW on average indoors.