Alternative Green Energy - Walking
I was doing my daily surfing and came across this article on NPR’s blog Mixed Signals. It is so cool that I had to share it with you. Check it out below:
Gives New Meaning to the Electric Slide…
It’s a woman. She’s 28. And she just generated 5 watts.
New Scientist brings us this item about a new kind of floor covering. Japanese scientists have developed a carpet that can determine a person’s age and gender. The carpet has a layer of silicon rubber, embedded with tiny sensors. When someone steps onto the carpet, the sensors measure changes in resistance and pick up differences in walking forces. Japanese researchers have already found that a person’s foot size and walking speed can reveal their age. And men and women have slightly different centers of balance in relation to their shoe size.
And if you think your walking workout gives you energy, some British engineers say you can also donate some to your local electric company. Wired reports a British company is gathering street vibrations from pedestrians and converting them into electricity. Claire Price, director of Facility Architects, says each footstep can generate 5 to 7 watts of energy. The company is developing a heel-strike generator, which would trap and store the energy from people’s footsteps. It plans to install them in places where there’s heavy foot traffic, such as busy subway stations. During rush hour, the machines could capture 20,000 footfalls per hour, which produces enough energy to power a building’s lights for one day. Price says the company plans to have a working prototype by Christmas.
– Cindy Johnston
I know this is a bit of a stereotype, but the Japanese are always coming up with innovative ideas. Also, another stereotype, but many ideas thought of for military purposes are also damn smart. I love the idea of harnessing vibrations into energy. Vibrations are all around us. If they could store energy from people walking in a subway tunnel, how much energy would come from an airport runway? Shocks in your car? I am envisioning a state-of-the-art fitness facility where people are paid to come and work out as the exercise equipment would create so much energy that the gym could sell the electricity. The possibilities are endless. This is fantastic.
July 30th, 2006 at 12:06 pm
Very interesting, but how long before such technology can actually be employed to the extent that everyone would like it to be? I’ve read stuff like this before, and then I never hear of it again. Maybe this time will be different, but I doubt it.
July 30th, 2006 at 8:31 pm
Good point. I have been thinking about uses for the “smart” carpet all day and I have concluded that it may be useful for someone with a visual disability to help identify people. Hmmm. As for capturing vibrations to transform into energy, I see a more urgent need in this regard as the need to develop other energy sources becomes more apparent in order to diminish our reliance on oil resources. Maybe we will not see any more references to either technology, but I do hope we can develop more alternative energy sources.
July 31st, 2006 at 11:10 am
Oh those darn Japanese, always so clever! I love them.
These kinds of inventions that have so much potential for benefiting society should be marketed to the mainstream consumer. It seems that all too often, amazing discoveries are made, or inventions created with no cost-effective plan in consideration. These inventions are unattainable without a lot of money and therefore shelved. I wonder if there is a way that we could market these crazy ideas and introduce them to people at reasonable costs? I’ll bet it would be a huge investment at first, but would would pay off in the end…
July 31st, 2006 at 1:37 pm
It does seem like a two part process. The first is the idea itself. The second is how to bring that idea to fruition while also using cost effective materials, etc. in order to make it available to the general public. I wonder if we will eventually have “smart” carpet or small energy generators in our floors - we will see
July 31st, 2006 at 6:37 pm
Okay, I am not one to want to grow old gracefully. Nor do I want people to know *ahem* that I have hit the middle of the road. This product must come with one of those warning signals so we know what we are stepping on. For all womanhood out there *ahem*
July 31st, 2006 at 7:41 pm
LOL - that is another good perspective to keep on the subject
August 4th, 2006 at 2:45 pm
It would be quite interesting if this technology were implemented even on a small scale. Energy and fuel companies are doing tests with technologies such as these. They ask small towns in rural parts of 1st world countries to try using alternative methods and technologies in energy consumption and generation. Maybe this can be done with the carpet in special suburbs and towns in Japan.
What is really interesting is that this whole giving back to the greater society is not a new concept. In a book called Natural Capitalism there is a section about an economic term called “service and flow”. Part of this is term involves the “hyper car” where not only is it a well designed hybrid but it also generates electricity. When parked it can be plugged into the grid and its excess energy can be sold back to the power companies. With cars and carpet society can possibly turn its populations into live energy. This can reduce the intense need for coal burning and nuclear power plants.
August 8th, 2006 at 10:19 am
Great comments, Will. However, the pessimist in me believes that even though these great technologies are within our grasp, the majority of America will be too lazy to change their lifestyles, to integrate these new features into their lives. Our society is based on convenience, not taking the extra time or step to give back to the community or environment.