Researchers at National Taiwan University developed a new device that captures energy from vibrations more efficiently. Its self-adjusting mechanism enables resonance with environmental frequencies, resulting in higher power output across a broader operational range.

Every day, the world hums with hidden energy. The floor trembles when a subway passes, bridges quiver as cars roll over them, and even the faint rhythm of footsteps sends tiny vibrations rippling through the ground. Usually, all this motion goes to waste—but what if we could turn it into electricity to power the devices we use every day? That’s the dream of researchers studying “piezoelectric energy harvesters,” tiny machines that sip power from vibrations.

The most common design resembles a diving board: a thin beam that bends back and forth, fitted with a special material that generates electricity when stressed. Simple, yes. Effective, not quite. These designs only work well at very specific vibration frequencies—like a radio that can only tune to one station—and because most of the strain is concentrated at one end, much of the material never reaches its full potential.

At National Taiwan University, a research team led by Prof. Wei-Jiun Su asked a simple question: what if the harvester could adapt itself? Their answer was a stretch-mode design that swaps bending for stretching. A thin PVDF film is pulled evenly like a drumhead so every part contributes to generating electricity.

The real magic, though, comes from a tiny sliding mass. This mass moves on its own, pushed by the tug-of-war between inertia forces and gravity. When the surroundings shake harder, the mass slides outward, lowering the harvester’s preferred frequency. When the shaking eases, gravity pulls it back, raising the frequency. In short, the device tunes itself—like a violin that adjusts its own strings mid-performance.

In lab tests, this self-tuning trick made a big difference. Compared with conventional designs, the new harvester produced nearly twice as much power and worked across almost double the frequency range. In one trial, the output reached nearly 29 volts, a remarkable figure for a device that fits in the palm of your hand.

Just as importantly, it could smoothly shift from low-energy to high-energy states without outside help—proof that self-adjustment works in practice. And this matters, because the real world is complex. Vibrations aren’t neat or predictable; they shift with traffic, weather, or even time of day. A rigid harvester quickly falls out of step, like a dancer who can’t keep tempo. But a self-tuning harvester keeps adapting, staying in rhythm and producing power reliably.

The possibilities are exciting. Imagine wireless sensors in buildings that power themselves for decades, portable electronics that never need charging, or medical implants that quietly run on the body’s own movements. Each step toward self-powered technology brings us closer to a world less dependent on batteries.

As corresponding author Prof. Wei-Jiun Su says, “By allowing the harvester to adapt to its surroundings, the door is opened to more efficient energy harvesting for self-powered devices.”

The study is published in the journal Energy Conversion and Management.

Students acting maliciously – often for fun – are increasingly the cause of cyber attacks affecting schools and colleges in the UK, according to new data from the Information Commissioner’s Office, which today warned that the culprits may be setting themselves up for a life of cyber crime.

Britain’s data protection regulator probed over 200 insider data breach reports in the education sector between January 2022 and August 2024, and found that over half, 57% in total, were caused by students, and almost a third, 30% all told, were caused by stolen login details, with students responsible for 97% of those.

The ICO’s warning comes amid a national conversation on the teenage, English-speaking hackers involved in the prolific cyber crime collective referred to variously as Scattered Spider, ShinyHunters, Lapsus$, and sometimes all three. This gang has been linked to a spate of incidents this year, including attacks on Marks & Spencer and, more recently, Jaguar Land Rover.

It also follows a recent National Crime Agency report that found a fifth of 10 to 16 year-olds had engaged in illegal activity online, and 5% of 14 year-olds had engaged in outright hacking. In 2024, according to the NCA, a seven year-old was referred to its Cyber Choices digital crime prevention programme.

 “Whilst education settings are experiencing large numbers of cyber attacks, there is still growing evidence that ‘insider threat’ is poorly understood, largely unremedied and can lead to future risk of harm and criminality,” said Heather Toomey, principal cyber specialist at the ICO.

“What starts out as a dare, a challenge, a bit of fun in a school setting can ultimately lead to children taking part in damaging attacks on organisations or critical infrastructure.

“It’s important that we understand the next generation’s interests and motivations in the online world to ensure children remain on the right side of the law and progress into rewarding careers in a sector in constant need of specialists,” said Toomey.

There are many reasons why children and young people might be tempted into hacking – some do it for dares, some for notoriety in their peer group, out of revenge or as a result of rivalries, and in a few cases for financial gain.

In one incident reported to the ICO, three Year 11 students accessed their school’s information management system containing pupil data, having downloaded tools from the internet specifically designed to break passwords and security protocols. Two of the children involved were members of an online hacking forum, and when questioned, all admitted to an interest in cyber security and said that they had wanted to test their skills and knowledge.

In a different and rather more damaging case, a student accessed their college’s information management system and proceeded to view, amend or delete personal information belonging to staff, students and course applicants. Some of the data contained in this system included names and addresses, academic records, health and safeguarding data, pastoral logs, and emergency contacts.

In the second instance, the student stole and used a staff login to access the system, but a deeper analysis of the 215 insider breach reports revealed that about a quarter of the incidents arose through poor data protection practices by teaching staff – including devices being left unattended or students being allowed to use staff devices.

A further fifth of the observed incidents were caused by staff sending data to personal devices, and about 17% were caused by technical failings, such as incorrect system setups or poor access management practice.

Only 5% of incidents were identified as insiders using “sophisticated techniques” to bypass security and network controls, once again highlighting the importance of paying close attention to basic security measures.