Is there any way to convert our foot steps into electrical energy while walking

Replies

• 

  Differential

  As far as I know, when you walk, you convert your muscular energy to kinetic energy (to move from one point to another). If you want to convert it to electrical energy, how will you be able to walk ??😕
• 

  Ashraf HZ

  Good thinking skelib!
  
  You guys must have known about the Nike + Ipod combination, where the latter receives data and plays specific songs etc..
  
  We can place simple piezoelectric sensors to provide power for charging portable devices that we carry in our pockets. Things like mp3, mobile phones, PDAs, etc. Perhaps a low powered FM receiver could be a more reachable target initially.
  
  We had some discussions about converting human power in gyms into viable electricity (here: #-Link-Snipped-#)
  
  Perhaps we should really do some serious research regarding human power.
• 

  Mayur Pathak

  Oh well really good thinking. But will simple piezoelectric sensors be good enough?
  
  I recently heard one of my relative has purchased a unique pillow (He procured it from some where in china). When you sit or rest on it, it absorbs, converts and stores your body heat into usable energy. Same can be used back as a warm pillow whenever you want to treat a sprained ankle, neck or any thing like that. I dont know how it works, I'm yet to see it.
• 

  sri

  i have ur project buddy... wanna do it contact me.. really i will give u
• 

  mahul

  There was a project for the U.S. Army in which the army boots are fitted with compact batteries and the walking movement is used to charge those batteries. The researchers said that the power generated could be used to power radios and some other electronic devices.
  So you see you can actually use up some of the energy spent during locomotion.
• 

  Ashraf HZ

  mahul

  There was a project for the U.S. Army in which the army boots are fitted with compact batteries and the walking movement is used to charge those batteries. The researchers said that the power generated could be used to power radios and some other electronic devices.
  So you see you can actually use up some of the energy spent during locomotion.

  Mahul, do you have more information on the US Army Project? This is worth investigating!
  
  I found a patent for a rechargeable shoe:
  #-Link-Snipped-#
  
  
  #-Link-Snipped-#
  
  
  

  The invention comprises a means for generating energy while walking or running for storage in a rechargeable battery. One embodiment uses lever arm movement in the heel of a shoe resulting from normal walking or running to generate energy from a built-in generator. The linear or rotational motion of the lever arm engages the circular gear assembly and turns the generator/motor/turbine, thus generating power. The second embodiment uses fluid reservoirs embedded in the shoes. Pressure changes resulting from normal walking or running moves the fluid through a narrow channel connecting two reservoirs, thus generating power by rotating a flywheel and an attached motor/generator/turbine in the middle of the channel. Secondary (rechargeable batteries are incorporated into the invention either in an integrated form or as an add-on design. Additional features include a digital diagnostic data output, which would serve as a "fuel gauge" for the secondary batteries, and a smart charging circuit that efficiently controls battery charging from a generator output that varies with step rate and force.

• 

  cshmech

  Hi Duudes..,
  So can we try some other like, creating energy from farting, yawning, from people who dance vigorously, while we roll on our bed and of course from people turning their heads...😒😒
  
  Now.. Jus kiddin.. NO OFFENSE MODS..😁
• 

  kingsly

  hi guys,,
  my friends had done a project of electricity generation in foot steps....successfully
• 

  Kaustubh Katdare

  Hey kingsly, could you please ask your friends to join CE and let us know the details of their project?
  
  It would be an interesting read, I'm sure!
• 

  cwb

  Differential

  As far as I know, when you walk, you convert your muscular energy to kinetic energy (to move from one point to another). If you want to convert it to electrical energy, how will you be able to walk ??😕

  Most of the walking energy is dissipated in the shock that comes when you put your foot down, hence the development of various shock absorbing soles for shoes. Now it is this energy that our original poster seems to want to harness.
  
  Anybody seen the rechargeable flashlights in which you pump a small lever to turn a dynamo? that could be a feasible one, in this case, you'd need smaller motors though, kinda like the ones used in cellphone vibrators. You could use the up-down motion of the soles upon impact to provide the needed actuation of the dynamo.
  
  piezos just won't deliver enough energy to be a substantial generator. They're really better as transducers rather than generators.
• 

  savdu

  hey i think i read something related to this in 'THE HINDU'. a japan company had manufactured these shoes.
• 

  sundeep_tv

  skelib

  Hi ce ans do you have any ideas with you to convert our foot steps into electrical energy while walking😁

  hey........ even i got this idea when i read about tha article of charging the recharghable batteris using the energy produced by foot steps..........then i worked a little bit about that ................yes we can do that in so many ways................actually decent amount of electricity will generate by this process............ one of the way is by using a trancducer(trancducer may be peizo elctrical trancducer) which converts the mechanical energy into the electrical energy ................and then by passing it through transformer(stepup or stepdown)inorder to bringing the elctricity to our requirements................................................i think this process works:smile::smile::smile::smile: .............................but this is costly procedure😔😔😔😔 because the trancducer and transformers costs more..................... so please suggest some other method by which we can do this process in a cheaper way.........................................
• 

  Kaustubh Katdare

  Formatting Tip: Avoid using trails of dots in between words.
• 

  deeps31

  how about using piezoelectric materials?
• 

  sauravgoswami

  yes its possibel a company baes in japan has made peizo-electric generators which generates electricity when someone walks over it,they have installed in crowded places and the results are staggering
• 

  Aashish Joshi

  I had an idea about this..Here is a rough draft of my mechanism..
  
  Here's how it works. Part 1(P1) and Part 2(P2) are mated to a spur gear attached to the shaft protruding from a dynamo. Suppose P1 and P2 are fixed inside the sole of a shoe (maybe a jackboot). As the wearer starts walking, P1 and P2 get motion in opposite direction. This will cause the mated spur gear to rotate, which in turn will rotate the dynamo, producing electricity.
  
  
  
  [EDIT]
  Maybe this will be a little bulky for a shoe, in that case we can use it somewhere else where we encounter unutilised shock loads!! Speed breakers, floors of busy public places, etc
• 

  jhbalaji

  Good idea..
  But it will be successful in commercial way mate...
• 

  Aashish Joshi

  Well, that's when design optimization comes in. We first build the concept in theory, test it and if it is found to be feasible, we go in for optimization of the design so that it can be manufactured commercially (this is also known as design for manufacture)
• 

  Ashraf HZ

  Good start, mad_scientist.
  
  We can use a much smaller dynamo, similar to those used in rechargable flashlights cwb mentioned 😀
  
  Though, I'm kind of worried about the dynamo shaft rotating backwards when you lift the foot up (I assume via spring to return to position). Perhaps you can add a ratchet-like mechanism so the dynamo shaft will always rotate in one direction? That'll simplify the rectifying circuitry tremendously.
• 

  Aashish Joshi

  I haven't shown the springs, but yes they will have to be used. Good idea about the ratchet mechanism, I'm working on it, will post the pic when I'm done..
• 

  Rohan_sK

  When we walk we have to expend the energy from our body by exerting force from our leg muscles to gain forward motion by pressing down on the ground. Thus muscular energy is expended to gain motion or kinetic energy.
  
  Now, when it is said to produce electrical energy from walking, by means of a dynamo itsnt it very evident that the dynamo works on the Faradays law, which implies that the mechanical energy is used to induce rate of change of magnetic flux to generate an EMF.
  
  Hence it is clear that there must be some WORK DONE to move the rod against the magnetic flux to generate the emf.
  
  Also from the Law Of Conservation Of Energy it is clear that there must be energy expended to produce some work. So in this case if the energy from walking which is the muscular force one exerts on the ground is used to do work against the magnetic field then what and how much energy will be left for producing the forward motion in walking.
  
  If the energy exerted by the leg muscles is used to produce an emf then there will be extra load on the legs muscles to do the walking normally. Just think about it. One cant get any kind of work or energy without expending it in an other form.
  
  Hence there will be an extra load or extra muscular power needs to be expended to gain any sort of electrical energy. It cant be done with the same energy that is consumed for walking. Something extra has to be put in to it.
• 

  Aashish Joshi

  @Rohan When we walk, some of the energy is used up in providing us forward motion by overcoming the friction between the ground and shoes.
  
  Another part of the energy is given to the ground in the form of impact load, which does nothing useful. This (the latter) energy can be utilised in driving the dynamo.
  .
  .
  Here is the modified dynamo arrangement with ratchet instead of spur gear..To keep the drawing simple I have left out some parts, like the springs, etc. Once we finalise the concept, then we can have a detailed drawing put up..
  
  
• 

  Rohan_sK

  Yep, you're right. The friction actually gives us the forward push.
  
  Seems just forgot this ...lolz.. Anyway thanks for reminding me!!
• 

  ukanth19

  YES surely we convert. Now a days many do project about this. But the lifetime of any product is not goodone. good think
• 

  vishnu priya

  What a great thinking people,!
  Really sounds good!!!
• 

  kashish0711

  well IDK if anything like that is placed, that will make walking a bit tough, well not actually tough but surely won't let it remain smoother. :\
  The jerks got can be surely used for this but just the comfort matter makes me worry.
  This made me remember the MIT engineers a while ago converted the energy of jerks that a car's shocker gets to electrical energy. 😀
  
  IDK not sure abt this thing, is possible but would it be anything that can be implemented?? can't say
• 

  Aashish Joshi

  The smoothness can be controlled by the stiffness of the springs that will be used.
• 

  pranjit

  final year project idea
  
  hiii...i m pranjit,doing my final year in mechanical engg.can anyone give me some innovative ideas for a final year project.
• 

  kashish0711

  Ok, I did read a page on some company developing this same this same thing for army, I think it was American not sure. They were experimenting on new type of piezo-electric crystals that will be more efficient and will be using them in various parts of the body, shoes, knees etc.
• 

  nany_mech

  What about piezo electric materials..
  
  piezoelectric materials when they are strained i.e; subjected to change in dimension in a particular axis, an EMF is generated in the perpendicular axis.
  
  So when we walk let us assume that a piezo material was inserted in the soul of the shoe and since our weight falls on the soul it is compressed and so the piezo material, now since there is a change in the dimensions of the piezo material an EMF should generate in the axis perpendicular to the axis. Though the emf generated is very small, it can be sued to charge the small battery sources which are being used in Fm radios or Ipods.
  
  Some of the piezoelectric materials are: quartz crystal( SiO2), Rochelle salt, PZT( lead zinconium titanate), PVDF( polyvinylidene flouride), BaTiO3( barium titanate) and LS (lithium Sulfate)
  
  voltage generated is given by: V= g* t *P
  
  where g= crystal voltage sensitivity factor( BaTiO3 has good value) , t= thickness, P= stress or pressure force
• 

  MetalThead

  sri

  i have ur project buddy... wanna do it contact me.. really i will give u

  Dude,what did u use??
  I'm workin on piezo's but i'm worried about the output,plz help me with the necessary circuitary!
• 

  Ramani Aswath

  nany_mech

  What about piezo electric materials..piezoelectric materials when they are strained i.e; subjected to change in dimension in a particular axis, an EMF is generated in the perpendicular axis.

  See here:
  New Shoe Charger Charges Cellphone With Nanogenerator System Via Kinetic Energy – The Tech Journal