POWERleap Tiles: Walking and Charging are The Same Things

In an era marked by energy resources that greatly affect the environment, many governments around the world are making efforts to tap alternative energy sources. The ideas are there and what we need is to integrate those ideas into our everyday lives and produce sufficient energy to power our needs. You might be surprised to know that our bodies generate enough energy to power electronic gadgets. Human energy might even be the fuel of the future.

Elizabeth Redmond’s invention, POWERleap, aims to solve the problem of wasted human energy. It is a flooring system that has the ability to harness human energy and generate electricity on site every time you walk around. The unique flooring system generates electricity using piezoelectricity, a phenomenon in which electricity is produced by applying mechanical stress to some materials such as POWERleap’s lead zirconate plates. When bent, these 2-in x 1-in plates produce a charge that can be harnessed.

All in all, POWERleap is a very simple idea with glaring applications. If enough people walk on these tiles, enough power can be harnessed to power an entire building. Just imagine the amount of energy the flooring system can potentially produce if you multiply one tile by your standard office floor or a subway station’s surface area. Redmond expects that the next phase of her research to produce "an electromechanical system that is safe, efficient, easy to install, repair, and apply, and fun to participate with."

Image Source: Elizabeth Redmond 

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