Human dynamo: How energy from your knees could power an Ipod

The Daily Mail (U.K.) ^ | February 8, 2008 | DAVID DERBYSHIRE

[Stoat]

Human dynamo: How energy from your knees could power an Ipod

By DAVID DERBYSHIRE - More by this author » Last updated at 00:43am on 8th February 2008

  It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase power walking.

 

A gadget that converts the movement of the knees while walking into electricity has been unveiled.

 

On a gentle stroll, the knee-brace generates enough electricity to run a mobile phone.

Scroll down for more...

 

 

 

 

Although the prototype is bulky - like something Robocop might have attached to his leg - smaller versions could one day be incorporated into clothing.

 

It could allow joggers to power up their iPods while running or commuters to charge their mobile phones while dashing for a train.

 

The inventors even believe it will help soldiers cut down on the number of batteries they need to carry into battle.

 

Spending power: Shoppers could charge their mobiles while walking from store to store

 

Inventor Dr Arthur Kuo, of the University of Michigan, said the device - called a "biomechanical energy harvester" - worked in the same way as the power-generating brakes found in hybrid cars.

 

These collect energy that would otherwise be lost as heat when a car slows down. The knee brace harvests energy lost when someone bends their knee after swinging the leg forward to take a step.

 

Dr Kuo said knee joints were ideally suited for generating electricity.

 

"There is power to be harvested from various places in the body, and you can use that to generate electricity. The knee is probably the best place," he said.

"We believe that when you're slowing down the knee at the end of swinging the leg, most of that energy is just wasted."

 

Dr Kuo and colleagues from the Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and University of Pittsburgh tested their invention on six men walking on a treadmill at a leisurely two miles an hour.

 

With a device on each leg, the volunteers generated around five watts of electricity while using very little extra energy to walk.

 

That would be enough power to run ten mobile phones at the same time. By running, one volunteer was able to generate 54 watts of power - enough for a conventional light bulb.

 

Dr Kuo, who published his test results in the journal Science, said his device needed refining.

 

"The prototype is bulky but the energy generation part itself has very little effect on the wearer," he said.

"We hope to improve the device so it is easier to carry

[Stoat]

There is power to be harvested from various places in the body

I'm not going to touch that one with a "ten foot anything"

That would be enough power to run ten mobile phones at the same time.

Some people just talk way too much, that's all there is to it.

By running, one volunteer was able to generate 54 watts of power - enough for a conventional light bulb.

Well, I suppose we've found a solution for the time when the Olympic Torch is banned due to environmental reasons....

[Stoat]

“snicker”

[Stoat]

More on this:

Knee-brace gizmo to generate electricity - Telegraph

Video available at this next link:

Technology Review Knee Power

[GeronL]

will be interesting someday I am sure. Looks really funny right now.

[Stoat]

will be interesting someday I am sure. Looks really funny right now.

Indeed, and there's already a demand for it, and a considerably more relevant demand than what's highlighted in the Daily Mail article:

 

Demand for human-energy harvesters like Donelan's knee brace and Rome's backpack is increasing, thanks in part to the proliferation of small electronics like cell phones and handheld GPS units, especially in the military.

"A soldier with a 24-hour mission [might have to] carry nearly 30 pounds of batteries with him," Donelan says. "They have to power everything from GPS to communications to night vision."

In addition, Donelan says that his knee brace has potential in medical markets: it could augment a paralyzed limb or power a prosthetic. "You could take a healthy limb and use it to power the injured limb," he says.

Technology Review Knee Power

[alwaysconservative]

Neat development! If it can be used to help soldiers “lighten” their load, then I’m all for it.

Of course, MY knees might not generate that much energy, LOL!

[Locomotive Breath]

Another application is long distance hikers who need to be away from a power source for days. Admittedly a small market.

[BenLurkin]

Makes my knee hurt just to think about it.

[jiggyboy]

Way too complicated. The mechanism in those flashlights that you shake to generate its electricity would be less hassle to use and cheaper to make. Just wear it on your hip or on your foot like a pedometer.

[martin_fierro]

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[SunkenCiv]

Maybe powered by my mouse hand...