Smart-City Technology Harvests Energy From Footsteps
These tiles can harvest energy -- up to 8 watts per footstep -- that can be stored and used to power streetlights or other infrastructure in urban areas where there is significant footfall. (Source: Pavegen)
Other than this tile technology i have come across a japenese shoe technology as well which helps to generate electricity . The shoe looks like a sandal with a watery cushioned sole inside it when you put weight on it the water sloshes to generate power ,Generator attached to each pair helps convert the power into electric energy which helps to juice up your ipod or any electronic device .
Elizebeth very surprising technology and if it really generates 5W of kinetic energy per footstep than it can be very usefull by placing these tiles in large malls because their is usually large crowd which when walk will help to produce large amount of energy.Secondly it can also be used Near Muslims pilgimage place Kaba where thousand of people are continously moving around .
Yes, it definitely has some give, from what I understand, Rob. But I don't think it's TOO sponge-y. The flex is 5mm, which isn't that much, so I imagine it would be a little bit like those people movers at airports. But I don't know for sure. I guess the only way to know is to test it or talk to someone who has.
That is a great idea, but I'd like to see how it feels to walk on this material. To create electricity, I would guess it would need to have some give. If this material is anything like the recycled tire material used on playgrounds, it will be a less than desirable walking experience. Walking on the playground material is like walking in a trampoline.
I thought that was a good use of recycled materials as well, AnandY, especially since tire rubber itself is such a wasteful product. What better way to reuse it then to turn it into something that can create energy?
Two researchers from Cornell University have won a $100,000 grant from NASA to continue work to develop an energy-harvesting robotic eel the space agency aims to use to explore oceans on one of the moons of Jupiter.
Is the factory smarter than it used to be? From recent buzzwords, you’d think we’ve entered a new dimension in industrial plants, where robots run all physical functions wirelessly and humans do little more than program ever more capable robotics. Some of that is actually true, but it’s been true for a while.
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