Human gait could soon power portable electronics

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.news.wisc.edu/19661

Human gait could soon power portable electronics

Aug. 23, 2011

by Terry Devitt

If the vision of Tom Krupenkin and J. Ashley Taylor comes to fruition, one day soon your cellphone — or just about any other portable electronic device — could be powered by simply taking a walk.

…

In their Nature Communications report, Krupenkin and Taylor describe a novel energy-harvesting technology known as "reverse electrowetting," a phenomenon discovered by the Wisconsin researchers. The mechanical energy is converted to electrical energy by using a micro-fluidic device consisting of thousands of liquid micro-droplets interacting with a novel nano-structured substrate.

This technology could enable a novel footwear-embedded energy harvester that captures energy produced by humans during walking, which is normally lost as heat, and converts it into up to 20 watts of electrical power that can be used to power mobile electronic devices. Unlike a traditional battery, the energy harvester never needs to be recharged, as the new energy is constantly generated during the normal walking process.

The initial development of this technology was funded by a National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research grant. Now Krupenkin and Taylor are seeking to commercialize the technology through a company they've established, InStep NanoPower.

…

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms1454

[The Wielding Truth]

1. I've been thinking about this for years. Also all the energy that could

be produced by the our vehicles when we travel on roads.

[RC]

2. You mean 'Recovered'.

Automobiles are at best, only about 35% efficient at moving the car. The rest is lost as heat and noise.

[jwirr]

3. We have a young boy in the family who is into playing games like

XBox. I was talking about people power when his grandparents started laughing - just imagine Hunt having to walk so many miles so he could play is games!

[OKIsItJustMe]

4. Instead, get him a bicycle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJFGEQRWxz8