Wireless Power Transfer and Communication Networks

Wireless power transfer and communication networks constitute a rapidly advancing field that integrates energy delivery and data exchange via electromagnetic waves. Techniques range from near-field inductive and resonant coupling to far-field radiative approaches employing directional beamforming. In parallel, communication protocols have evolved to incorporate energy harvesting at sensor and device nodes, enabling self-sustaining operation and reduced dependence on batteries. Simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) strategies allow concurrent energy delivery and data transmission, while harvest-then-transmit schemes store received energy for subsequent uplink communication. Key challenges include maximising transfer efficiency over distance, mitigating interference and near-far disparities in network topology, and designing resource allocation algorithms that balance energy distribution with quality of service. Advances in hardware, such as low-loss rectifiers and programmable metasurfaces, complement sophisticated signal processing methods for channel estimation and adaptive beam steering. These innovations underpin applications in Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems, vehicular and roadside infrastructures, implantable medical devices and remote environmental monitoring. The fusion of power and data flows promises greener, more autonomous networks, yet demands careful co-design of physical layers, network protocols and regulatory frameworks to ensure safety, reliability and equitable access.

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Wireless Power Transfer and Communication Networks publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in wireless power transfer and communication networks across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Wireless Power Transfer (WPT): the transmission of electrical energy through free space or dielectric media without physical conductors, using electromagnetic fields.

Energy Harvesting: the process by which ambient energy (RF, vibrational, thermal or optical) is converted into electrical power to supply electronic systems.

Beamforming: a signal processing technique in antenna arrays that directs electromagnetic energy towards specific spatial angles to maximise transfer efficiency or signal quality.

Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer (SWIPT): a communication paradigm enabling concurrent transmission of data and energy over the same electromagnetic signals.

Energy Conversion Efficiency: the ratio of usable electrical power output by an energy harvester to the incident power of the received electromagnetic wave.

Channel State Information (CSI): knowledge of the propagation environment between transmitter and receiver, used to optimise adaptive signalling and power allocation.

References

1. Energy-Autonomous Roadside Nodes in V2I Using RF Energy Harvesting. IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society (2024).
2. Wireless Power Transfer in Wirelessly Powered Sensor Networks: A Review of Recent Progress. Sensors (2022).
3. Massive MIMO With Radio Stripes for Indoor Wireless Energy Transfer. IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications (2022).
4. Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer in $K$ -Tier Heterogeneous Cellular Networks. IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications (2016).
5. Joint Downlink/Uplink Design for Wireless Powered Networks With Interference. IEEE Access (2017).