Energy Harvesting Flooring

In 2007 two mit graduate students proposed the idea of installing piezoelectric flooring in urban areas.

Energy harvesting flooring.

A motion converter is discussed which converts linear progression caused by traffic related impulse forces to be. Dubbed crowd farming the idea was to install a flooring system that would take advantage of piezoelectric principles by harvesting power from footsteps in crowded places such as train stations malls concerts and anywhere where large groups of people move. How it works. An assembly for harvesting energy including the motion converter and a floor unit are also described.

We do this by making energy production visible interactive smart and fun. I would guess a disco floor equipped with energy harvesting and packed with 100 hyped up teenagers bopping like mad you might generate enough power for a few led lights. Energy floors aims to create awareness about renewable energy generation and environmental impact. Low power bluetooth beacons in the system connect to smartphone apps generating permission based analytics and rewards for users.

As pedestrians walk across the pavegen system the weight from their footsteps compresses electromagnetic generators below producing 2 to 4 joules or around 5 watts of power of off grid electrical energy per step. With each passing year the problem of the world s increasing energy needs but decreasing energy supply becomes a greater worry for society. The present application describes techniques for the harvesting of kinetic energy from the movement of people and or vehicles. Our roots our story starts in 2008 when we open the world s first sustainable dance club and let partygoers loose on our energy generating dance floor.