Stanford Students Test Piezoelectric Sensor for Future Power Drivers

Piezoelectric power, or electricity produced in response to applied mechanical stress, keeps popping up on our radar. Recently, we looked at a French city's plan to implant piezoelectric microsensors in its sidewalks, and just last week we had the opportunity to chat with Stanford students working on piezoelectric vibrational energy harvestors for vehicles, or piezeoelectric sensors that can power certain vehicle functions using normal vibrations.

The key to the technology is a tiny energy...