Trend: Harvesting Human Power

Energy, generated by the human body, can be used to power small devices.

Trend Description:
Electronics are becoming cheaper, smaller, and more ubiquitous. People tend to carry their devices around with them, often not able to access an electric outlet. While clever power management and circuit design reduce power requirements, researchers and designers have begun tapping into new energy sources – some have even explored the human body itself as a potential power source.

Cases:

MIT: Responsive Environments Group – Energy Harvesting Sneaker
According to a group of MIT scientists led by Joseph Paradiso, hi-tech shoes harvesting old-fashioned foot power could someday generate enough electricity for portable phones and computers. So far, the group has been able to power simple electronic identification tags with two different devices that resemble cushioned shoe inserts. While one device harvests energy from heel strikes, the other device turns the flex in a sneaker’s insole into electronic power.

NYU: Kinetic Energy Project - Shoe Power
Christian Croft and Kate Harman were experimenting with wheeled sneakers that are currently popular among children. They put a gear onto the wheel, dug out a hole in the sole of the shoe to hold a stepper, and taped a motor into the sole of the shoe. The gears moved nicely together and people were still able to roll around on them. The measured output from the motor gained around 8V and 400 milliamps at its peak and could easily power some LEDs and a buzzer.

Energy Harvesting Dérive
The xncroft project introduces the idea of energy harvesting sneakers through an art project. Based on the mathematical phenomenon of the random (or “drunk”) walk and the idea of the dérive (a French concept meaning an aimless walk), the
Energy produced by the sneakers powers a screen display which shows arrows and text telling the wearer which direction he or she should travel next. Depending on the speed of rolling, a directive appears on the screen every 15 to 20 feet. Add-ons to the existing prototype such as GPS are possible. But the intention of this shoe-project is currently to incite users to get lost and explore territory outside of their typical transport routines. The project can be explored at the Conflux Festival in New York in September 2008.

MIT: Responsive Environments Group – Seiko SII Thermic® Heat-Powered Watch
This thermal energy watch uses ten thermoelectric modules and a booster IC. It runs off body heat.

Trend Impact:
Solar power and wind power are so far the main alternative energy sources. But for devices that are constantly carried by their owners, it makes sense to use the human body as a power source, which is almost always available, even at night.

Joe Paradiso: Responsive Environments Group, MIT Media Lab

Kinetic Shoes

Energy Harvesting Dérive

Conflux

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