High-Tech Knee Straps Could Power GPS Tracker Devices
19 Jun 2012How would you like to charge your mobile devices, such as your GPS tracker, simply by taking an after-dinner stroll or walk with Fido? Well, soon you may be able to.
That’s because British researchers have figured out a way to power small electronic gadgets simply by extracting energy from a person’s knees through the use of a high-tech knee strap. The researchers from a trio of UK Universities have built an innovative device that is capable of converting body movement into electricity, which is able to power small electronic devices.
Referred to as the “pizzicato knee-joint energy harvester”, the user wears the circular strap around her knees. The strap’s outer ring is fitted with four protruding arms and over 70 plectra, which pluck the arms when the knee is bent. Similar to a guitar string, the arms then vibrate generating energy, which can in turn charge mobile devices.
Currently, the knee contraption can harvest only about two milliwatts of power, but researchers from the University of Salford, Cranfield University, and the University of Liverpool say that with a few realistic changes, the power generated could exceed 30 milliwatts. The researchers tested the device on a knee motion simulator that reproduces the walking gait of a human.
Long used in ultrasound scanners and sonar sensors, the “energy harvester” mechanism is built on the piezolectric materials.
The researchers believe that this gadget could propel a new generation of GPS tracking, thanks to longer and more frequent wireless transmissions and more advanced processing.
Its implication is far-reaching, including powering heart-rate monitors or other medical devices people rely on to survive. Other applications include decreasing the amount of heavy batteries solders need to carry when on foot patrol.
The UK researchers are looking for ways to make the device more portable, wearable, and cheaper. “There is an on-going project looking at manufacturing a more compact and truly wearable harvester,” said lead author of the study Dr Michele Pozzi. “At the moment we are using precise but cost-effective manufacturing techniques for the plectra and casing and anticipate that remaining parts will be moulded industrially, slashing the cost,” Pozzi commented.
Once improvements to the device are made, the final production model could cost about $15.
The research is published in the July issue of IOP Science journal Smart Materials and Structures.
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