Wearable Device Generates Electricity From Walking Knee Movements

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Wearable Device Generates Electricity From Walking Knee Movements

Posted by timothy on Sunday June 17, 2012 @09:41AM from the walk-to-work dept.

Zothecula writes "If you've ever worn a knee brace, then you may have noticed what a large change in angle your knee goes through with every step you take, and how quickly it does so. A team of scientists from the U.K.'s Cranfield University, University of Liverpool and University of Salford certainly noticed, and decided that all that movement should be put to use. The result is a wearable piezoelectric device that converts knee movement into electricity, which could in turn be used to power gadgets such as heart rate monitors, pedometers and accelerometers."

5 of 99 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

Or.. by busyqth · 2012-06-17 09:49 · Score: 5, Funny

It could be used to power a truly awesome joy buzzer.
1. Re:Or.. by Jeremi · 2012-06-17 17:45 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Already done. Search slashdot for it. It'll be used to power small implants and uses sugar from the blood.
  That's somewhat useful, but what we Americans really need is a device that runs on the energy stored in body fat. People could connect their home gaming rig to their beer belly's AC socket, and emerge at the end of their 8-hour Skyrim session significantly slimmer than when they started.
  
  --
  
  I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
Travel! by rbowen · 2012-06-17 10:40 · Score: 5, Funny

You could even use the power generated by your knees to travel from one place to another!

--
Apache guy, Open Source enthusiast, runner
Re:More power by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-17 10:44 · Score: 5, Informative

Finally, a way to power our future borg implants.
Except that we already had this technology in 2008. And /. user Promatrax161 called out the idea in 2005. But then he may have adapted it from a shoe based version in 2001.
Re:Next up ... by PNutts · 2012-06-17 11:13 · Score: 5, Funny

Sex Power!
Well, since this is /. you're talking about something that mounts to one wrist.