Bill Yen (PhD candidate) received first place in the 2024 Prototypes for Humanity Award, Energy section. Bill is a Stanford Smart Sensing Systems (S4) Lab member, led by Professor Zerina Kapetanovic.

Bill is working in the area of low-power Internet of Things (IoT) systems. He is an interdisciplinary maker and environmental scientist passionate about solving issues related to food, water, and energy using smart technologies.

His winning project, Terracell, is a soil microbial fuel cell that generates renewable energy from microbes breaking down organic carbon in the soil, offering a sustainable power source for IoT sensors in remote and challenging environments. Its innovative design, with perpendicular electrodes and a vertical, waterproof cathode, enables operation in both dry and flooded soils, extending sensor runtime by 120%. All components, except carbon electrodes, are 3D-printable and locally sourced, making Terracell accessible and eco-friendly. It offers a groundbreaking solution to power IoT devices for environmental monitoring without relying on batteries or solar panels

The Prototypes for Humanity Awards celebrate the next generation of innovators and their commitment to finding solutions for social and environmental issues. This year, 2700+ submissions from 100+ countries were received, and 100 research-backed teams presented in Dubai for a total cash prize of $100,000.

Please join us in congratulating Bill on this award for his important research.

Bill Yen receiving the Prototypes for Humanity Award 2024.