Power From the People

Most human-powered energy-harvesting systems are used to power ubiquitously deployed sensor networks and mobile electronics. These systems scavenge power from human activity or derive limited energy from ambient heat, light, or vibrations. In this article, systems that use human power by walking or running are analyzed, where an alternative system has been designed and implemented that generates energy from people dancing in a club environment.

[1]  R. M. Alexander.  Energy-saving mechanisms in walking and running. , 1991, The Journal of experimental biology.

[2]  D. Inman,et al.  A Review of Power Harvesting from Vibration using Piezoelectric Materials , 2004 .

[3]  G. Brooks,et al.  Exercise physiology: Human bioenergetics and its applications , 1984 .

[4]  J. Huisman.  The Netherlands , 1996, The Lancet.

[5]  C. B. Vining.  An inconvenient truth about thermoelectrics. , 2009, Nature materials.

[6]  Thad Starner,et al.  Human-Powered Wearable Computing , 1996, IBM Syst. J..

[7]  Jerry E. Pratt,et al.  The RoboKnee: an exoskeleton for enhancing strength and endurance during walking , 2004, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2004. Proceedings. ICRA '04. 2004.

[8]  Joseph A. Paradiso,et al.  Energy scavenging for mobile and wireless electronics , 2005, IEEE Pervasive Computing.

[9]  M. Kishi,et al.  Micro thermoelectric modules and their application to wristwatches as an energy source , 1999, Eighteenth International Conference on Thermoelectrics. Proceedings, ICT'99 (Cat. No.99TH8407).

[10]  Taeseung D. Yoo,et al.  Generating Electricity While Walking with Loads , 2022 .

[11]  M. Koplow,et al.  Thick film thermoelectric energy harvesting systems for biomedical applications , 2008, 2008 5th International Summer School and Symposium on Medical Devices and Biosensors.

[12]  Richard Heydt,et al.  Electroelastomers: applications of dielectric elastomer transducers for actuation, generation, and smart structures , 2002, SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring.

[13]  J A Hoffer,et al.  Biomechanical Energy Harvesting: Generating Electricity During Walking with Minimal User Effort , 2008, Science.

[14]  C. Van Hoof,et al.  Thermoelectric Converters of Human Warmth for Self-Powered Wireless Sensor Nodes , 2007, IEEE Sensors Journal.