PIEZOWALK

Inspiration

Lack of electricity in rural areas is a big problem in a country like India. Many people die due to the lack of timely treatment in rural hospitals because of the unavailability of electricity. By utilising renewable sources of energy PiezoWalk tends to save lives by reducing the number of deaths caused by the lack of electricity, in addition to making the hospital self-sustainable in terms of electricity consumption through the use of our product.

What it does

PiezoWalk is an energy harvesting floor mat that uses piezoelectric materials to harvest electrical energy from pedestrians walking over it. We have decided to create a floor mat that will absorb the mechanical energy of people walking across it in order to create electrical energy. This can be accomplished by placing piezoelectric materials inside the mat, or in conjunction with the mat.

How we built it

We built a mat in a sandwich-like structure, where piezoelectric crystals disc are put between 2 layers of insulating materials. Piezoelectric crystals in the mat produce an electric impulse when stretched or deformed. The insulating layers protect the piezoelectric material from friction as well as electric discharge. The look of the mat will be very similar to a common household mat. The Piezoelectric Mat will be connected to a rectifier to convert AC to DC and then store it in a capacitor for further use.

Challenges we ran into

The challenges we ran into is a proper mat design. Piezoelectric crystals come in different forms like cable, discs etc. Choosing the one which will give the highest output and which will fit the size of a mat was very difficult. The availability of the material for the testing and research was also a huge challenge.

What we learned

We learned several interesting things during this project like how the mechanical energy of footsteps can be converted into electrical energy. The need for sustainable development in order to save the environment.

What's next for PIEZOWALK

The next step is to make an excellent working prototype based on market needs and the needs of our beneficiaries. We will then do the testing and feedback of PiezoWalk with experts. This will become one of the most revolutionary ideas of the future.

Built With

• piezoelectric