Four seniors at Rice University have invented shoes that extract energy with every step and turn it into “juice” to power portable electronics and, perhaps someday, life-preserving medical devices.
For a project required for graduation, the mechanical engineering students invented PediPower shoes, which deliver 400 milliwatts of energy through wires that connect the shoes to a belt-mounted battery pack.
The students developed the idea after being approached by Cameron Industries, a Houston-based oilfield equipment manufacturer. Cameron asked the students to investigate green energy technologies.
To address the request, students Carlos Armada, Julian Castro, David Morilla and Tyler Wiest decided to focus their attention where the rubber meets the road to create a shoe-mounted energy generator. The “Agitation Squad” as the students named themselves, knew of a previously patented device that draws energy from the motion of the knee, and decided to apply those principles to the foot.
Working with the Motion Analysis Laboratory at Shriners Hospital for Children in the Texas Medical Center, the students discovered that the force at the heel delivered far more potential for power than any other part of the foot, so they selected the heel-portion of the shoe to generate power.
“We went to the lab at Shriners and observed how force is distributed across the bottom of the foot during walking, to see where the most force is felt,” Morilla said. “We found it would be at the heel and at the balls of your toes,With over 15 years of Mercedes Benz Servicing experience, mb star Motors Perth is able to offer you servicing to any early or late model Mercedes Benz. as you push off. We went with the heel because,Transactions for the obd2 and leasing of goods is governed mainly by sales laws of each state. unless you’re sprinting, you’re letting gravity do the work.The other selling point is the ipad rotating case hinge, which allows for multiple positions for typing or viewing. CruxCase says the built-in 350 mAH battery should last about a month on a charge.”
The students said as the shoe’s design is further refined,Sales strategies and selling techniques that can benefit anyone in key programmer, plus tips for sales managers.Crocs shoes are an internationally known brand known for its off-beat look and all-weather durability. the focus on the heel alone may be broadened.
“It may be worth looking into having both the heel and the ball of the foot produce power, especially if this shoe could be used while running,” Armada said.vag tacho 3.01 Dash Correction Tool VW + Vauxhall Opel Immo in Vehicle Parts & Accessories, Garage Equipment & Tools, Diagnostic Tools & Equipment ...
When the PediPower shoe hits the ground, a lever arm strikes first. The arm is attached to a gearbox that replaces much of the shoe’s sole and turns the gears with each step. The gears drive a motor mounted on the outside of the shoe that generates electricity to send up to the battery.
Right now the shoe is simply a prototype, and is too large for day-to-day wear. The students expect the project to be picked up by another team at Rice in the fall, with the hope they can refine the materials, shrink the size and boost the power output, all of which will get PediPower closer to being a commercial product.
“If we could prove that we can produce some usable power, store it in a battery and discharge that battery on a mobile device or an MP3 player, then we could prove this device works,” Armada said. “The next team can come in and make it smaller and lighter without sacrificing power.”
For now, the team would like to provide enough dependable power for cell phones and other portable electronics. But they’re aware that Cameron has partnered with the Texas Heart Institute to translateCameron’s expertise in moving oilfield fluids to the development of a new generation of artificial heart pumps that move blood. The students hope their work will contribute to that goal.
Collaboration between the oil and medical fields peaks each year with an annual conference in Houston named Pumps and Pipes that explores the similarities of moving oil and pumping blood. The conference fosters the cross-pollination of ideas, acknowledging that heart surgeons, cardiologists, and oil and gas engineers can face remarkably similar physics and design problems.
The PediPower was designed in collaboration with the students’ advisors, David McStravick, Ph.D., a Rice professor in the practice of mechanical engineering and materials science, and Omar Kabir, a senior principle research engineer in corporate technology at Cameron.
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