‘electromagnetic harvesting device’ by dennis siegeldetecting electromagnetic fields with higher frequencies
the omnipresence of electromagnetic fields is implied just by simple current flow. we are surrounded by electric charges which are produced for information transfer or as a byproduct. being capacitive, these fields can be harvested with coils and high frequency diodes.
in response, bremen-based designer dennis siegel built special devices that are able to tap into several electromagnetic fields to exploit them, where the energy is stored in typical batteries. users can then retain the charges from the power supply of a coffee machine, a cell phone or the catenary of a train by holding the harvester directly into the electromagnetic field whose strength is indicated by a LED on the top of the object.
harvesting the electromagnetic field of the cell phone
there are two types of devices for different electromagnetic fields: a smaller harvester that is suitable for lower frequencies below 100Hz which can be found in the general mains (50/60Hz, 16,7Hz) and a larger variation that is suitable for lower and higher frequencies like radio broadcast (~100MHz), GSM (900/1800MHz) up to bluetooth and WLAN (2,4GHz).
‘electromagnetic harvesting’
detecting the electromagnetic field of a power line
harvesting the electromagnetic field of a ticket validator
harvesting the electromagnetic field of a coffee machine
harvesting the electromagnetic field of a copy machine
farming at a substation
the smaller harvester
the larger harvester
designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here
Sep 08, 2026
Sep 01, 2026