We’ve seen solar panels in action to generate electricity at home, but it would now be possible to make some of your own kinetic energy just by performing everyday routines. Researchers have published findings that showcase how wooden floor tiles can generate electricity just by people’s footsteps on them.
There have been many such inventions around this kind of power transmission, such as wireless power over distance. Wood isn’t a good conductor, so each of the two spruce planes used in the demo required special treatment: One with silicon, while the other one with metallic nanocrystals.
Enough to generate power
The final product was able to produce electricity 80 times better than the wood that was untreated and could do the same for around 1,500 cycles. The phenomenon that works here is similar to the static electricity generated from rubbing a wool sweater on hair. This triboelectric effect generates current due to the difference in electrical charge between two materials.
The output of the system touched 80 volts at its peak, and a current of 1 microamp, though this was with thinner wood that compromises on structural strength. A few steps could keep a light bulb glowing for some time. One demo showed these pads powering electrochromic windows that are capable of changing opacity with an electric charge.
More research required before deployment
This proves that the concept has potential. It’s easy to imagine how a home with such tiles in place from wall to wall will produce a fair amount of energy passively, simply by having people walk on them. While it might not be enough to power the whole house, systems as such could supplement more traditional home power.
Similar techs have been proposed for sidewalks and roads, with unfortunately few seeing large-scale deployments of the technology. As of now, the project is still in a nascent stage and further research is required. The bigger question is that tech like this can even get through the bigger hurdles between demonstration and real-world product? Guess we will have to wait and watch.
