Bracelet +: Harvesting Leaked RF Energy in VLC with Body Antenna

Abstract

Recent studies show that the transmitters of Visible Light Communication (VLC) - a promising technology for future 6G networks - not only emit visible light signals but also leak RF signals during transmissions. In this work, we aim to harvest energy from these leaked RF signals. We observe that surrounding objects could help harvest significantly more energy. Based on this observation, we design Bracelet+, which involves the human body as part of the antenna to increase the harvested energy. We prototype our antenna as a bracelet that achieves both high harvested power and convenience for wearing. Bracelet+ improves the average harvested energy by 10x more, achieving micro-watt power harvesting and having potential to power up ultra-low-power sensors such as temperature and glucose sensors.