The Walking Generator

Inspiration

This idea came from a problem my family and I had many times on vacation. When we were out exploring by foot and using our phones to navigate it would always lose battery. I needed a solution to this problem! I began thinking and I came up with an idea inspired by piezoelectric tiles.

What it does

The Walking Generator straps or hooks onto the back of your shoe and when you walk it produces energy. The foot of the Walking Generator is partly under the shoe, and when you step down a gear rack gets pushed upwards into a gear. The gear will then spin a motor to produce energy. The energy will go into a rechargeable battery then convert to a USB output.

How I built it

I first made a model with cardboard to understand what I was going to design. Then, I started building the Walking Generator by designing it in Fusion 360. Although it took many attempts, I created the final prototype for the 3D print. I used a plastic gear rack along with three other gears, a conical spring, two 2mm metal rods, a 12V DC motor, a rechargeable battery, and a 9V buck USB converter. For the main body to be sent back up, the conical spring lies between the main body and foot. The gear rack is connected to the foot and enters the main body through a hole. It then rests on a platform for stability. The gear rack spins a gear which is part of a high gear ratio connected to the 2mm metal rods. A small indent lets the small 12V motor stay still while the gears spin it. A rechargeable battery is attached to the top of the body, which is connected to the motor. From the battery, wires connect it to the 9V buck USB which is located on the top as well.

Challenges I ran into

A challenge I ran into was the connection between the gear rack and gears. I needed to redesign the resting platform and hole for the gear rack countless times. Although it was a struggle I managed to make it a perfect fit. Another challenge was the strength of the design. After testing out the prototype many times the foot and body broke a lot. I redesigned it and eventually got it very strong.

Accomplishments that I am proud of

I am very proud of the outcome of this project. I was able to get all the measurements for the gears and motor correct on the first attempt because of the cardboard sketch. I was also very happy how the one conical spring was able to support the body. At first, I thought I would need multiple springs but one worked very well. Overall, I am very proud of the design and structure of the prototype.

What I learned

During this project I got better at 3D design and electrical work. I had to overcome many challenges and I could not give up after several attempts. I learned to persevere and work harder. I also learned a lot about gears as it was the first time I used one in a project.

What's next for The Walking Generator

I would like to improve the overall look of the Walking Generator as it is a bit sharp. I would also like to be able to make it more compact in the future. Right now the parts of the Walking Generator are not powerful and if I could, I would use a better motor, gears, wires, and battery. The Walking Generator was such a fun project to do and I hope to continue work on it in the future.

Built With

• autodesk-fusion-360
• bambulabs