Evaluation of smart-fabric approach to biomechanical energy harvesting

This thesis evaluates the proposed use of piezoelectric energy harvesting methods as a power source for light-up sneakers. Light-up sneakers currently marketed for purposes of pedestrian visibility and personal fashion are powered by primary or secondary batteries; maintenance requirements could potentially be reduced or eliminated by introducing a renewable power source drawn from the wearer's body. A test was made to determine the possible power levels available from piezoelectric fiber elements mounted on the shoe upper; approximately 10nW of power was developed during walking. In addition to performance in terms of power generated, cost, durability, manufacturability, and user impact also need to be considered before applying this technology.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Denault, Sebastian Ramirez

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Sang Gook Kim.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/92178

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/92178