Harvesting kinetic energy to supply autonomous lighting on Nordic Walking poles. (June 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kränzler, Christopher; Nagel, Jörg; Pylatiuk, Christian
• Is Part Of: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Volume 228:Number 2(2014:Jun.)
• Page Start: 136
• Page End: 146
• Publication Date: 2014-06
• Subjects: Body energy harvesting -- Nordic Walking -- kinetic energy -- electromagnetic coupling -- efficiency; Sports sciences -- Periodicals; Sporting goods -- Design and construction -- Periodicals; Sports -- Technological innovations -- Periodicals; Biomechanics -- Periodicals; 613.71
• DOI: 10.1177/1754337113509797
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1754-3371

Abstract

With humans becoming increasingly dependent on portable electronic devices, the increased amount of batteries to carry around becomes a serious problem. Energy harvesting provides a green, cost-friendly and maintenance-free alternative, which has so far virtually exclusively been considered for low-power applications. This study shows a first approach of the incorporation of energy harvesting systems into everyday applications. With Nordic Walking becoming more and more popular and lighting devices being inevitable for the walker to be visible to others, an autonomous lighting device mounted on Nordic Walking poles is a great example to show the capabilities of energy harvesting. To set the framework for the design of such a system, first, the acceleration levels occurring during Nordic Walking are measured. On this basis, two linear electromagnetic generators are designed, implemented and evaluated. The presented generators exhibit maximum power outputs of up to 6.6 mW and are able to light up an ultra-bright light-emitting diode.