Physical Mechanisms for the Transference of Electromagnetic Energy

EM-POWER aims to create a new generation of wireless power transfer and ambient RF harvesting systems based on controlled power extraction from confined modes and high-efficiency microwave matching. The project targets passive devices capable of powering moving receivers, enabling wideband energy harvesting, and supporting compact radio receivers with no active electronics. The scientific strategy builds on four pillars: (i) non-radiative guiding using low-loss dielectric structures, (ii) efficient fractional extraction through non- resonant coupling, (iii) harmonic-engineered high-efficiency matching using Class-F rectifiers, and (iv) direct EM-to-mechanical conversion using MEMS- based passive receivers (MEMSTENNA concept). WP1 will demonstrate guided wireless power transfer at 2.4/5 GHz delivering >1 W under EIRP limits defined by ETSI EN 300 328 and FCC Part 15, including motion-aware demonstrators with detection distances on the order of one centimeter. WP2 will develop methodologies that treat RFID tags as equivalent-circuit harvesting devices derived from prescribed wideband response profiles. WP3 will design wideband rectennas for ambient harvesting with ultra-low-power rectifiers (Pin  - 30 dBm) and architectures without dissipative matching networks. WP4 will deliver fully passive radio receivers based on MEMS structures coupled to antennas, capable of generating acoustic output from RF signals with no active circuitry. The scientific impact includes advances in non-radiative WPT, efficient microwave matching, wideband ambient harvesting, and passive communication architectures. Socioeconomic benefits include battery-free IoT devices, low-power wireless sensing, reduced environmental impact and miniaturized receivers for applications in healthcare, logistics, smart cities, industry, and sustainable microelectronics. EM-POWER positions Spain at the forefront of energy-aware wireless technologies, enabling new paths for passive sensing and efficient power delivery. Impacto científico técnico o internacional esperable: The Project explores four complementary regimes of wireless power transfer that are rarely addressed under a unified theoretical and experimental framework: (i) watt-level transfer through confined surface-wave modes, (ii) controlled RF-to-DC conversion in UHF RFID tags, (iii) ultra-low-power ambient energy harvesting at GHz frequencies and (iv) direct electromagnetic-to-mechanical energy transduction using MEMSTENNA technology. The combined outcome is a multi-scale understanding of power distribution, capture and conversion across several orders of magnitude, from tens of watts to microwatts and from GHz guided modes to mechanical actuation. WP1 is expected to provide the first experimental demonstration of non-resonant, fractional extraction of guided power under strict emission limits, establishing a physics-based foundation for scalable non-radiative WPT. WP2 introduces a novel circuit-synthesis methodology that transforms RFID tags into programmable energy-conversion devices, allowing predetermined read-range behavior and controlled DC delivery. WP3 advances the state of the art in ambient RF harvesting by fabricating TRL3 rectenna prototypes capable of powering individual sensing nodes using real electromagnetic pollution from Wi-Fi, cellular or IoT transmissions. WP4 delivers a disruptive scientific milestone: a fully passive radio receiver that produces acoustic output directly from RF power without active electronics, illustrating a new class of devices that merge antennas and MEMS transducers into a single energy-conversion entity. Together, these contributions open new scientific avenues in high-power surface-wave confinement, nonlinear RF-to-DC conversion, GHz-range rectifier architecture and RF-driven MEMS actuation. Each WP yields publishable advances independently, while their convergence enables a larger conceptual shift: a unified science of controlled electromagnetic energy extraction and conversion across power scales, platforms and physical domains.