Pacesetters

Pacesetters

Pacesetters is a project created by Facility Architects, a London-based design firm. Its aim is to harness the vibrations generated by activities within a city and generate electricity for lighting purposes.

History

The concept itself is not new. DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) of the United States pioneered research into the field. Primarily, their interest was mainly to reduce the use of heavy rechargeable batteries that power necessary yet power-hungry communication devices carried by soldiers into battlefields. Most of the research was spent in development of "heel-strike" [generators] , which were powered through the pumping motion of a footstep, which would be embedded within a heel of an army boot. So far, they were successful in achieving upwards of 3 - 6 watts of power output.

Design

There are currently two design prototypes being considered. The first prototype is a staircase that will contain either hydraulic or piezoelectric mechanisms within the steps to absorb the kinetic energy from stairclimbers' footfalls, and then convert them into electricity. This method is believed to more efficient as more energy is expended by the commuters to ascend the staircase. The prototype is expected to be installed and tested by summer 2007.

The second design consists of a wireless system of lighting that will use tiny generators with components designed to resonate at the same frequency of surrounding vibrations. The resonance will then either move a tiny magnet relative to a coil of wire looped around it or apply pressure to a crystal inside the generator to create current. Light-emitting diodes or LEDs connected to such vibration harvesters could be used to illuminate areas where constant heavy vibration is present, such as train or metro stations, airports or highways. This system will enable lighting without any cables or wires connected to the power grid.

ee also

* Energy harvesting

External links

*http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/5009358.stm
*http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/06/26/vibrations_tec.html
*http://www.the-facility.co.uk/


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • pacesetters — n. someone or something that sets the pace, pacemaker in a race; person or group that sets the example or leads the way in a particular field …   English contemporary dictionary

  • The Pacesetters — Infobox Musical artist Name = The Pacesetters Img capt = Img size = Background = group or band Origin = Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. Genre = funk Years active = Label = Associated acts = James Brown, The J.B. s Past members = Bootsy Collins Catfish… …   Wikipedia

  • NASTAR — Pacesetter rounding a gate NASTAR (an acronym for NAtional STAndard Race) is the world s largest known recreational ski and snowboard race program.[1][2] It …   Wikipedia

  • Servigistics — Infobox Company company name = SERVIGISTICS company |center] company type = Private foundation = 1999 location city = Atlanta, Georgia location country = USA locations = 4 key people = Eric Hinkle, CEO, Mike Landry, Founder and Chief Technical… …   Wikipedia

  • Marathon — For other uses, see Marathon (disambiguation). Competitors during the 2007 Berlin Marathon …   Wikipedia

  • Siti Nurhaliza — This is a Malay name; the name Tarudin is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Siti Nurhaliza. This article is about Siti Nurhaliza. For her debut self titled album, see Siti Nurhaliza I. For… …   Wikipedia

  • Ethel Soliven Timbol — was a journalist and lifestyle editor of the Manila Bulletin, published in the Philippines. She was born 22 January 1940, the ninth child of Congressman Benito Soliven and Pelagia Villaflor Soliven. She is the youngest sister of journalist Maximo …   Wikipedia

  • Catholic Memorial School (West Roxbury, Massachusetts) — Infobox School | name = Catholic Memorial School motto = Vince in Bono Malum: Conquer Evil by Doing Good established = 1957 type = Private president = Mr. Paul Sheff 62 dean of students = Mr. Thomas Ryan faculty = Principal Mr. Richard Chisholm… …   Wikipedia

  • Jorge Cham — Infobox Comics creator name = Jorge Cham imagesize = caption = Jorge Cham at the EPFL on 21 May 2008 birthname = Jorge Cham birthdate = May 1976 location = deathdate = deathplace = nationality = area = Webcomics alias = notable works = Piled… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Georgia Institute of Technology alumni — [cite web|url=http://gtalumni.org/uploads/bylaws.pdf|title=Bylaws of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, Inc.|publisher=Georgia Tech Alumni Association|accessdate=2007 05 03|format=PDF] The first class of 128 students entered Georgia Tech in… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”