Exploiting Bursting Dynamics for Enhanced Energy Harvesting and Vibration Control

In this work, we investigate bursting dynamics in piezoelectric energy harvesters as a strategy to enhance performance under low-frequency (<10 Hz) excitations. A mesoscale bistable harvester with permanent magnets is modeled and numerically simulated, showing that bursting regimes enable efficient frequency up-conversion, providing an alternative to approaches based on moving proof masses. Compared to classical inter-well oscillations, bursting yields a substantial increase in harvested power, with representative steady-state values of about 3.5 mW on a 50 kΩ load. These results highlight the potential of bursting dynamics not only for energy harvesting from sources such as human motion, but also for vibration control and programmable devices.