Achilles' new heel: Shock absorbing, gait assisting and energy harvesting. (May 2023)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Achilles' new heel: Shock absorbing, gait assisting and energy harvesting. (May 2023)
- Main Title:
- Achilles' new heel: Shock absorbing, gait assisting and energy harvesting
- Authors:
- Pan, Qiqi
Long, Zhihe
Zhang, Zhuomin
Lin, Weikang
Zhang, Lingling
Bai, Songnan
Yang, Xiaodan
Liu, Shiyuan
Park, Yong-Lae
Chirarattananon, Pakpong
Yang, Zhengbao - Abstract:
- Abstract: Humans have evolved to walk highly efficiently to conserve energy, making it challenging to develop assistive and energy-harvesting devices for walking. Herein, we report a heel pad-based assistance device for walking that not only optimizes the energetic economy of walking and prevents plantar fasciitis but also harvests energy from heel impact. Our footwear-embedded device improves the walking economy by offering shock absorption and walking assistance, while simultaneously providing energy-harvesting functions. We demonstrate that the use of our device reduces the activation of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles during the foot strike by 5.8 ± 1.0 % and 4.1 ± 0.6 %, respectively. The collisional energy conserved from the impact at the touchdown is transformed into 3.8 ± 0.3 watts of electrical power (mean ± SEM). Compared with walking in normal shoes, the energy savings with the device imply that walking endurance could be increased by as much as 10 % without extra effort from the wearer. Our findings demonstrate the potential of the heel pad-based device that enhances the energy economy of walking and human bipedal locomotion. Graphical Abstract: ga1 Highlights: Highly integrated footwear for shock absorbing, gait assisting, and energy harvesting. A power density of 27.5 mW/cm 3 (peak power: 3.8 Watts) is achieved for a single step. Walking with the device does not significantly interfere with the normal gait pattern. The footwear device shows stableAbstract: Humans have evolved to walk highly efficiently to conserve energy, making it challenging to develop assistive and energy-harvesting devices for walking. Herein, we report a heel pad-based assistance device for walking that not only optimizes the energetic economy of walking and prevents plantar fasciitis but also harvests energy from heel impact. Our footwear-embedded device improves the walking economy by offering shock absorption and walking assistance, while simultaneously providing energy-harvesting functions. We demonstrate that the use of our device reduces the activation of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles during the foot strike by 5.8 ± 1.0 % and 4.1 ± 0.6 %, respectively. The collisional energy conserved from the impact at the touchdown is transformed into 3.8 ± 0.3 watts of electrical power (mean ± SEM). Compared with walking in normal shoes, the energy savings with the device imply that walking endurance could be increased by as much as 10 % without extra effort from the wearer. Our findings demonstrate the potential of the heel pad-based device that enhances the energy economy of walking and human bipedal locomotion. Graphical Abstract: ga1 Highlights: Highly integrated footwear for shock absorbing, gait assisting, and energy harvesting. A power density of 27.5 mW/cm 3 (peak power: 3.8 Watts) is achieved for a single step. Walking with the device does not significantly interfere with the normal gait pattern. The footwear device shows stable durability and robustness in daily locomotion. … (more)
- Is Part Of:
- Nano energy. Volume 109(2023)
- Journal:
- Nano energy
- Issue:
- Volume 109(2023)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 109, Issue 2023 (2023)
- Year:
- 2023
- Volume:
- 109
- Issue:
- 2023
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2023-0109-2023-0000
- Page Start:
- Page End:
- Publication Date:
- 2023-05
- Subjects:
- Energy harvesting -- Energy conversion -- Biomechanical energy transfer -- Wearable device -- Human walking
Nanoscience -- Periodicals
Nanotechnology -- Periodicals
Nanostructured materials -- Periodicals
Power resources -- Technological innovations -- Periodicals
Nanoscience
Nanostructured materials
Nanotechnology
Power resources -- Technological innovations
Periodicals
621.042 - Journal URLs:
- http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/22112855 ↗
http://www.sciencedirect.com/ ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1016/j.nanoen.2023.108293 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 2211-2855
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
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- British Library DSC - BLDSS-3PM
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