The
1.6kg device, strapped to the knee (pictured), harnesses the body’s
movements to generate enough electricity to charge 10 cell phones at
once
Washington: Call it the ultimate power-walk.
Scientists in the US and Canada said on Thursday they have developed a
unique device to be strapped on the knee that exploits the mechanics of
human walking to generate a usable supply of electricity.
With
each stride the leg accelerates and then decelerates, using energy both
for moving and braking. And it generates enough power to charge up 10
cell phones at once, the researchers report in the journal Science.
The
first practical use for the generator is likely to be in producing
power for artificial limbs, said researcher Max Donelan of the
Canada-based Simon Fraser University.
Other potential uses
include powering a portable GPS locator, a motorised prosthetic joint
or implanted drug pumps. It could be of value to hikers or soldiers who
may not have access to electricity, they said.
Many researchers have been working on ways to harness the motion of the human
body to create power.
Previous
inventions including a shoe-mounted device were nice and light, but did
not generate much electricity. Similarly, a backpack device that
generated power as it bounced up and down while a person walks
generated a lot of electricity, but was heavy to lug.
The new
energy-capturing knee brace, its inventors said, seems to find a happy
medium - generating decent amounts of power while still being
relatively light.
Arthur Kuo, a mechanical engineer who worked
on the device at the University of Michigan in the US, said it works
similarly to the way that regenerative braking charges a battery in
hybrid cars.
These regenerative brakes collect kinetic energy
that normally dissipates as heat when the car slows down. The knee
device collects energy lost when a person brakes the knee after
swinging the leg forward to take a step, the researchers said.
“It
generates a fairly substantial amount of power compared to previous
devices, and it does so in a way that doesn’t affect the user very
much,” Kuo.
“You could easily power 10 cell phones at once.
There are some low power computers that you could power. You could
imagine devices like GPS locaters, satellite phones,” he said.
With
a device placed on each leg, volunteers walking on treadmills generated
about 5 watts of electricity walking at a leisurely 3.5 kmph. Each of
the devices weighs about 1.6 kg, which Kuo said was still too unwieldy.
“Even
though we’ve demonstrated this new way to generate power, we don’t mean
to say this is a usable product at this time. The principal limitations
are that our prototype is pretty heavy and bulky,” Kuo said, adding
that it can be made smaller and more practical.
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