Devices and sensors live everywhere these days: inside machines, bridges, even the human body.  But when their batteries run out and they’re too expensive or difficult to replace, many devices simply stop working.

What if devices for smart infrastructure, automated systems, and advanced medical technologies could be powered without wires or batteries? Researchers at Virginia Tech are exploring an unexpected solution to do so: sound.

High-frequency sound waves — too high for humans to hear — carry energy in waves that can travel through air, water, even solid materials like metal or human tissue. When the sound waves reach a device, that energy can be captured and converted into electricity, allowing sensors to operate without needing battery replacements or physical connections. It’s a high-tech way of delivering power that could be used to monitor the health of bridges and buildings, power devices inside industrial equipment, enable small medical implants without surgeries to replace batteries, and support sensing systems in underwater and other hard-to-access environments.

“Our vision is to deliver power through sound to devices operating in places where batteries cannot easily be replaced and wires cannot reach,” said Shima Shahab, Mary V. Jones Faculty Fellow and associate professor of mechanical engineering. “If we can reliably transmit energy using acoustic waves, we can enable entirely new classes of sensing and autonomous systems.”

The project was recently chosen for the Office of Naval Research’s Naval Enterprise Partnership Teaming with Universities for National Excellence (NEPTUNE) program, which supports the development of wireless power technologies for distributed sensing systems in challenging environments, including underwater applications.

Early funding from the National Science Foundation helped establish how ultrasonic waves propagate through materials and how vibrations can be converted into electrical energy. Over $1 million in additional support has come from the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, Ford Motor Company, and the Office of Naval Research. Shahab’s past research has explored a variety of uses for acoustic energy in medical, energy, intelligent structures, and even artistic applications. 

The team

To develop wireless power solutions for long-duration sensing systems operating in challenging and hard-to-reach environments, Shahab is working with two colleagues:

  • Ali Mehrizi-Sani, professor and Bradley Senior Fellow in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the Power and Energy Center
  • Ted Barron, research assistant professor in the mission systems division at the Virginia Tech National Security Institute

The team is also exploring how artificial intelligence-augmented control systems can be used to optimize acoustic energy transmission by adapting to environmental conditions, improving energy efficiency, and intelligently managing networks of distributed sensors.

“Persistent sensing and autonomous systems are essential for many critical applications, from infrastructure to national security,” Barron said. “Wireless acoustic power transfer could dramatically extend how long these systems operate without maintenance.”

Hands-on opportunities for students

Beyond the scientific and technological advances, the project is also helping prepare the next generation of engineers and scientists. Through the NEPTUNE program, students at Virginia Tech — including graduate researchers and military-affiliated students pursuing advanced engineering education — gain hands-on experience in acoustics, energy systems, and intelligent technologies with real-world applications in infrastructure, industry, and national security. The interdisciplinary environment connects students directly with real-world defense challenges while strengthening the workforce pipeline for national security and advanced engineering sectors.

 “This project sits at the intersection of power systems, acoustics, and intelligent systems,” Mehrizi-Sani said. “Training students to work across these fields is essential for building the future workforce that will design and deploy next-generation energy and sensing technologies.”

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