{"id":1031,"date":"2012-06-19T07:23:09","date_gmt":"2012-06-19T15:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/?p=1031"},"modified":"2025-09-17T10:57:35","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T17:57:35","slug":"hightech-knee-straps-power-gps-tracker-devices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/hightech-knee-straps-power-gps-tracker-devices\/","title":{"rendered":"High-Tech Knee Straps Could Power GPS Tracker Devices"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana;\">How 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana;\">That&#8217;s because British researchers have figured out a way to power small electronic gadgets simply by extracting energy from a person&#8217;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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana;\">Referred to as the &#8220;pizzicato knee-joint energy harvester&#8221;, the user wears the circular strap around her knees. The strap&#8217;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.<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana;\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana;\">Long used in ultrasound scanners and sonar sensors, the &#8220;energy harvester&#8221; mechanism is built on the piezolectric materials.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana;\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana;\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana;\">The UK researchers are looking for ways to make the device more portable, wearable, and\u00a0 cheaper. &#8220;There is an on-going project looking at manufacturing a more compact and truly wearable harvester,&#8221; said lead author of the study Dr Michele Pozzi. &#8220;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,&#8221; Pozzi commented.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana;\">Once improvements to the device are made, the final production model could cost about $15.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana;\">The research is published in the July issue of IOP Science journal <a href=\"http:\/\/iopscience.iop.org\/0964-1726\/21\/7\/075023\">Smart Materials and Structures<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How 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&#8217;s because British researchers have figured out a way to power small electronic gadgets simply by extracting energy from a person&#8217;s knees through the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_description":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-applications"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>High-Tech Knee 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