Piezoelectric Sensors and Self Monitoring Planes
Box 2 | Other piezoelectric devices
The idea of harvesting energy from vibrations is going way beyond the Smart Patch. US defence researchers are experimenting with special piezoelectric-fitted boots for soldiers that will turn the movement of their feet into electricity to power some of their equipment. More radically, researchers elsewhere are developing piezoelectric flooring to generate electrical energy from pedestrians and dancers in clubs, from vehicles driving on roads, and working on ideas such as electrical clothing. In the future, very thin piezoelectric wires will be woven into the fabric to generate electricity as the wearer moves, maybe enough to power an iPod, mobile phone or other electronic device. In an increasingly technologically advanced yet resource strapped world, such ideas will potentially be of great help when it comes to ‘green’ energy production. However unlike the Smart Patches, much of this is still in early days; at the moment the boots are inconvenient for the soldiers to wear and the electric cloth wouldn’t survive a trip to the washing machine. But keep watching this space.
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Box 1. More about Piezoelectricity
Related sites
Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting
Embedded Technologies: Power From the People (Smithsonian magazine)
Harvesting Energy (NASA)
Revamped 'Power Generating Floor' to be tested at Tokyo Station (Tech-On)
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Posted July 2011, Edited August 2012