Abstract

Smart dust has been conceived as millimeter scale autonomous systems that form the basis for massively distributed wireless sensor networks[ 1, 21. Smart dust motes have been demonstrated that pack sensors, interfaces, power sources, digital control communications and processing circuitry into a few cubic millimeters volume. Previously, both the delivery of a mote swarm and communicating with such systems has been studied. Here we address the problem of how to subsequently move dust motes around in their application environment. Solutions involving robot insect motes have been advocated where distances and times are small; but this introduces additional mechanical and electronic complexity plus severe constraints on power sources. Instead, we focus on the possibility of extracting power from the natural fluctuating forces that act on the motes.

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