Charging your phone by dancing or even lighting up the Eiffel Tower with your feet are no longer visions of a better future, but reality! Kinetic floor tiles that generate power from human movement enable everyone to become part in the creation of sustainable energy. But how exactly do kinetic tiles work?
Kinetic energy is the energy of motion and can therefore be found in every object that moves. In everyday life, we are surrounded by it: be it people strolling through the streets or an airplane flying in the sky. The process of converting kinetic energy into electrical energy is not a new one.
Wind turbines, for instance, generate electricity by transforming the kinetic energy of the wind. While this is an already well-known energy source in field of renewables, capturing energy from human movement is a newer approach to generating sustainable energy. With the help of kinetic tiles, energy from footfall can be captured and converted into electricity.
The system we use to transform kinetic energy is an electromechanical one. This system can be found inside each tile. Our sustainable kinetic floor tiles are designed to slightly flex when pedestrians are stepping on them. With the help of the electromechanical system, the vertical movement of a footstep is transformed into a rotating movement.
This then drives a generator which leads to an energy output of up to 35 watt per module of sustained output. Power output for continuous stepping by a person lies between 1 and 10W nominal output.
Our Sustainable Energy Floor consists of fully recyclable materials. The kinetic tiles are constructed from glass, steel, recycled plastic and electronics. All components can easily be separated and recycled when they are at the end of their lifecycle.
The energy the kinetic tiles produced can not only support charging phones or light up dancefloors, but support to power street lights or signing systems. The kinetic tiles can be used in pavements and high footfall areas such as railway stations, airports, shopping malls, schools and playgrounds.
With the help of kinetic tiles, energy that would otherwise be wasted can be used to power up our cities in the future and also contribute to increase the share of renewables in the global energy mix.
