Monitoring abyssal ocean currents is crucial for deep-sea research. Existing current meters have limitations including power supply needs, low pressure resistance, and narrow measurement ranges. This paper introduces a self-powered, highly sensitive deep-sea current measurement system using a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) to harvest energy and sense currents as low as 0.02 m/s. A magnetic coupling structure ensures high pressure resistance (exceeding 45 MPa), and a variable-spacing structure broadens the measurement range (0.02–6.69 m/s). Successful operation at 4531 m in the South China Sea demonstrates the potential for sustainable, high-resolution ocean current monitoring.

Yuan Chao Pan, Zhuhang Dai, Haoxiang Ma, Jinrong Zheng, Jing Leng, Chao Xie, Yapeng Yuan, Wencai Yang, Yaxiaer Yalikun, Xuemei Song, Chang Bao Han, Chenjing Shang, Yang Yang