A type of hybrid energy harvester made of magnetic particles (MP-HG) which operates on both triboelectric and electromagnetic induction had been fabricated and reported. A triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and an electromagnetic generator (EMG) collectively generate electrical energy upon the same vibration motion of particles under both vertical and lateral vibrating directions. The electrostatic induction between the polymer and the particles enables the generation of the triboelectric component, and at the same time, the movement of particles through the coil activates the electromagnetic component upon the same particles motion. The device generates a maximum rectified output of ~3 V/16 μA under hybrid combination upon vertical vibration. The TENG component generates the maximum rectified output of ~2.2 V/300 nA with an instantaneous power density of ≈0.4 mW/m2 under a load resistance of 300 MΩ. The device is capable of generating electrical signals upon the vibrations produced from day-to-day electrical components such as compressor motor and speaker. Finally, MP-HG device was used to demonstrate the real-time application of zero power consuming/self-powered seismic detectors. Upon the vibration, the device can send the trigger signal to the Arduino board for driving the LED and buzzer. This type of devices can be used to alert/warn people from natural calamities like an earthquake which can cause severe causalities to the people and their belongings. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd