TECHNOLOGY REPORT SENSORS TDK TDK unveils power-generating wheel sensor Electronics maker TDK in January introduced its InWheelSense piezo-electronic " energy harvesting and sensing module " that it said can generate power from vehicle wheel movement while also serving as a sensing platform to enable a variety of vehicle data-collection functions. The company said in a media presentation prior to the CES 2021 conference that its energy-harvesting module/sensor (EHModule) is envisioned as a safety and comfort enhancement for robotaxis and an alternative and backup to any automated vehicle's (AV's) perception sensors. The EH-Module " makes wheels and tires intelligent, " said Rakesh Sethi, general manager for sensors and actuators at TDK's U.S. R&D Center. He said the EH-module's ability to " analyze what is going on with the car at each wheel " will make forthcoming robotaxi operation safer by providing discrete information to AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING TDK's piezoelectric module harvests energy from tire/wheel forces and combines a sensor to generate tire-related and driving-environment data. infrastructure-connected systems about driving conditions and valuable vehicle data derived from the wheel/tire interface. The energy-generating module/ sensor also will be vital, he said, for generating power for increasingly energy- hungry emerging technologies. " InWheelSense is a multi-faceted power generation and sensing solution that attaches to the wheel of an automobile to convert the force of tire rotation into piezoelectric power and generate Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79439-710 March 2021 17http://info.hotims.com/79439-710 http://info.hotims.com/79439-710