Investigation of gimbaled pendulum dynamics for broadband wave energy harvesting

Harnessing ocean waves for power demands robust converters that overcome the narrow bandwidth and instability of traditional resonant devices. Here, we present a gimbaled pendulum wave energy converter (GP-WEC) that exploits nonlinear chaos for broadband energy harvesting. Through parametric optimization and bifurcation analysis, we demonstrate a peak capture width ratio of 38.4 % at an off-resonant wave period (1.2 s), with high efficiency sustained across a broad spectrum. Crucially, the rotary pendulum decouples from the chaotic motion of its tray, rectifying irregular excitations into stable, high-amplitude rotation, as validated by wave-flume experiments. This mechanism ensures consistent power output even under high-entropy waves, establishing the GP-WEC as a promising platform for sustainable offshore power.