Electricity Generation from Footsteps

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
Man has needed and used energy at an increasing rate for his sustenance and
wellbeing ever since he came on the earth a few million years ago. Primitive man
required energy primarily in the form of food. He derived this by eating plants or animals,
which he hunted. With the passage of time, man started to cultivate land for
agriculture. He added a new dimension to the use of energy by domesticating and training
animals to work for him. With further demand for energy, man began to use the wind for
sailing ships and for driving wind mills, and the force of falling water to turn water
for sailing ships and for driving wind mills, and the force of falling water to turn
water wheels. Till this time, it would not be wrong to say that the sun was supplying all
the energy needs of man either directly or indirectly and that man was using only
renewable sources of energy.
Other people have developed piezo-electric (mechanical-to-electrical) surfaces in
the past, but the crowd farm has the potential to redefine urban space by adding a sense
of fluidity and encouraging people to activate spaces with their movement. The crowd
farm floor is composed of standard parts that are easily replicated but it is expensive to
produce at this stage. This technology would facilitate the future creation of new urban
landscapes athletic fields with a spectator area, music halls, theatres, night clubs and a
large gathering space for rallies, demonstrations and celebrations, railway stations, bus
stands, subways, airports etc. like capable of harnessing human locomotion for
electricity generation.
Energy is the ability to do work. While energy surrounds us in all aspects of life,
the ability to harness it and use it for constructive ends as economically as possible is the
challenge before mankind. Alternative energy refers to energy sources, which are not
based on the burning of fossil fuels or the splitting of atoms. The renewed interest in this
field of study comes from the undesirable effects of pollution (as witnessed today) both
from burning fossil fuels and from nuclear waste byproducts. Fortunately there are many
means of harnessing energy, which have less damaging impacts on our environment in
India.
To generate electrical power using footsteps one step will be enough at this level
to produced electrical energy. As studied few methods from which power is generated.
Following are the steps of fly and gear wheel method. First step is by proper arrangement
of electrical system. After the arrangement of electrical system which transforms
DEPT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, AGMRCET, VARUR, HUBLI

Electricity Generation from Footsteps

mechanical energy to electrical energy, When a human steps on the device due to his/her
body weight the iron plate moves downwards and drives the crank shaft which further
drives the gear arrangements which further drives rack and pinion. Then there is another
gear arrangement which is connected to the commentator of the dynamometer. When load
using the power then this spring is used to vibrate the step by force then power is
produced.
Then the voltage that produced through steps is rectified and after battery charger
circuit this D.C voltage is stored in the lead acid battery of 12 volt. This lead acid battery
is further attached to the inverter. The invert is such designed that it inverts the voltage
from battery which is 12 volt D.C to 230 volt A.C. So this A.C voltage is used in different
appliances such as for charging the laptop battery and also to charge the handset, it can
also be used to lightening up through energy saver. If we need more power from this
technique then used more steps for more electric current and also then ability of battery
and inverter should be increased then output power will be increased.

1.1 EXISTING SYSTEM

Other people have developed piezo-electric (mechanical-to-electrical) surfaces in
the past, but the Crowd Farm has the potential to redefine urban space by adding a sense
of fluidity and encouraging people to activate spaces with their movement. The Crowd
Farm floor is composed of standard parts that are easily replicated but it is expensive to
produce at this stage. This technology would facilitate the future creation of new urban
landscapes athletic fields with a spectator area, music halls, theatres, nightclubs and a
large gathering space for rallies, demonstrations and celebrations, railway stations, bus
stands, subways, airports etc. like capable of harnessing human locomotion for
electricity generation.

1.2 PROPOSED SYSTEM

Proposal for the utilization of waste energy of foot power with human locomotion
is very much relevant and important for highly populated countries like India and China
where the roads, railway stations, bus stands, temples, etc. are all over crowded
and millions of people move around the clock. This whole human/bio energy being
wasted if can be made possible for utilization it will be great invention and crowd energy
farms will be very useful energy sources in crowded countries. Walking across a crowd
farm floor, Then will be a fun for idle people who can improve their health by exercising
in such farms with earning. The electrical energy generated at such farms will be useful
for nearby applications.

DEPT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, AGMRCET, VARUR, HUBLI

Electricity Generation from Footsteps

Figure 1.1 Experimental setup of foot step power generation

When force is applied on the plate by virtue on stamping on the plate the force spring
gets compressed. The pinion meshed with the rack gear results in circular motion of the
pinion gear. The generator attached to the pinion hence results in the sinusoidal waveform
(for single Generator) For one full compression the pinion moves one semicircle. When
the force applied on the plate released the pinion reverses and moves another semi-circle.
The rack here moves vertically down.

1.3 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

Foot step Arrangement

Rack and Pinion arrangement
Dc Generator
Battery
Inverter
Light Load

Non conventional energy using foot step is converting mechanical energy into the
electrical energy. Proposal for the utilization of waste energy of foot power with human
locomotion is very much relevant and important for highly populated countries like India
and China where the roads, railway stations, bus stands, temples, etc. are all over crowded
and millions of people move around the clock. This whole human/ bio-energy being
wasted if it can be made possible for utilization it will be great invention and crowd
energy farms will be very useful energy sources in crowded countries.
In this project the conversion of the force energy in to electrical energy. The
control mechanism carries the A.C ripples neutralizer, unidirectional current controller
and 12V, 1.3Amp lead acid dc rechargeable battery and an inverter is used to drive
DEPT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, AGMRCET, VARUR, HUBLI

Electricity Generation from Footsteps

AC/DC loads. The battery is connected to the inverter. This inverter is used to convert the
12 Volt D.C to the 230 Volt A.C. This 230 Volt A.C voltage is used to activate the loads.
We are using conventional battery charging unit also for giving supply to the circuitry.
Here we are utilizing the human energy while walking; we can use this project in any
particular area, place, most populated areas, speed breakers etc., to drive any loads. The
generating of electrical energy is done by coupling linear gear and rotary gear, this
arrangement is connected to geared DC motor so that the Dc motor will rotates, the output
is fed to ac loads. Here we are using generator (mechanical energy to electrical energy)
type converter concept is used to run AC loads.

1.4 METHODOLOGY & OBJECTIVES

Study of details lecture review .

Study of Rack and pinion System.

Study of Dynamo and Rotary converter development.

Design and Modeling of Power Generation by Staircase.

Study of Mechanical Stress and Gear Arrangements.

Measurement of Output Power.

The main aim of this project is to develop much cleaner cost effective way of
power generation method.

conversion of the force energy in to electrical energy.

DEPT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, AGMRCET, VARUR, HUBLI