Power to the People

A new invention turns people into walking generators. The device, worn like a knee brace, harvests energy from walking and converts it to electricity.

The generator was developed by J. Maxwell Donelan of Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. While the wearer's leg swings forward, the 3.3-pound device is inactive. But when the leg swings back, the device engages to harness the energy from that motion. Test subjects who walked with one device on each leg could generate about 5 watts of electricity. In theory, this electricity could be stored in a battery and used to power an insulin pump, prosthetic limb, or other medical device for the wearer. Or, of course, some sweet light-up sneakers.

Copyright Carus Publishing Company May/Jun 2008
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