CUHK team develops award-winning battery-free keyboard and insole
發佈日期: 2025-06-04 20:00
TVB News
The Chinese University of Hong Kong has successfully developed two new sustainable technologies.
They include a pioneering battery-free wireless keyboard which clinched a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury at this year's International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva.
This is the first ever fully operational wireless and battery-free keyboard.
Its innovative design was awarded a Gold Medal at the 50th Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions.
With each keystroke, this device harvests kinetic energy, converting it into electrical power that allows the keyboard to operate and transmit signals.
The innovation was designed by a research team from the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
By eliminating battery use and reducing waste, this innovation demonstrates the possibility of promoting sustainability in the design of everyday electronic devices.
The keyboard offers a stable and self-sufficient solution for users, in contrast with other sustainable alternatives such as solar powered devices which are limited by light availability and may not be suitable for all environments.
The research team also developed a battery-free smart insole which provides continous real-time gait monitoring to support enhanced sports rehabilitation, as well as early disease detection.
It was awarded a Bronze Medal at this year's Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions.
Professor Liao Wei-Hsin said the technology could also be extended to other applications such as monitoring machine health, explaining, "it's kind of a related concept: it's also kinetic energy and we can get energy from the motion and from vibrations and convert it to eletrical energy."
The research team hopes to roll out the product to the market within one year and explore more applications in different domains.
