Researchers have developed a tent that harvests energy from its own motion — a process that could one day power small devices in shelters, disaster zones and off-grid camps.
The key lies in a material property known as "magnetoelasticity," which turns bending and stretching motion into electrical energy. Magnetoelasticity, first described in 1865 by physicist Emilio Villari, is the change in a material's magnetic flux density when mechanical stress is applied in the presence of an external magnetic field.
The design, described in a study published July 31 in the journal Matter, uses smart textile layers that respond to everyday movement in and around the tent, harvesting both environmental and biomechanical motions. Wind, a person shifting inside, or the fabric flexing during setup can all contribute to the energy output, making the shelter itself part of the power system.
The tent fabric acts as an energy harvester. When the material bends, stretches or flexes, its magnetic state changes, and that shift is converte...
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