PIEZOELECTRIC ENERGY HARVESTING USING FOOTSTEPS
Open accessAbstract
The need for sustainable green energy is increasing.This has brought the use of human locomotion in harvesting alternative renewable energy to the forefront.The mechanical stress exerted on the ground when walking can be used as a source for electrical energy generation, in particular using a piezoelectric material.The piezo-electric material is electrically neutral as long as no stress is applied, but once a mechanical stress is applied, the balance is disturbed resulting in an external electric field, namely the piezoelectric effect.This paper presents a portable floor tile structure -StepGen, designed using piezoelectric plates to harvest the energy from human footsteps.Two major prototypes are presented, namely a rod-tap mechanism and a wheel-tap mechanism.The rod-tap mechanism uses a vertical rod array to strike the plates simultaneously and provides an average output of 1 mW per step with an approximate walking frequency of one-step per second.The wheel-tap vibration mechanism uses a chain system to rotate an array of wheels arranged on a shaft.Each wheel taps a plate simultaneously and provides an average power output of 5 mW at the same walking speed.The work demonstrates the feasibility of using piezoelectric technology for harvesting electrical energy and enhances the possibility of using improved piezoelectric material in the field of renewable micro energy.
AI snapshot
Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
The paper introduces StepGen, a portable piezoelectric floor tile for harvesting energy from footsteps, and compares two force-transfer prototypes: a rod-tap design and a wheel-tap design. The wheel-tap prototype produces more power per step, but its advantage shrinks under realistic walking and running because the larger vertical displacement is not fully achieved.
Key findings
- A 40 mm double-sided PZT plate outperformed a 40 mm single-sided plate in tapping tests, reaching maximum values of 19.36 V and 0.06 mA versus 9.06 V and 0.04 mA.
- Prototype I, the rod-tap mechanism, produced an average of 8 V, 0.12 mA, and 0.96 mW per step; Prototype II, the wheel-tap mechanism, produced an average of 5 V, 1 mA, and 5 mW per step.
- Prototype II gave roughly five times the per-step power of Prototype I for a 2.5-times larger vertical displacement (5 cm versus 2 cm), but in actual walking and running the gain was only about 1.5 times and 1.25 times, respectively, because faster movement reduced effective force transfer.
- Output rose roughly in proportion to weight, and for Prototype I running generated about twice the power of walking.
Methods
- Two 30 cm × 30 cm MDF tile prototypes were built: a rod-tap mechanism with 2 cm vertical displacement and a wheel-tap mechanism with 5 cm displacement, both using PZT plates, a bridge rectifier, voltage display, lithium-ion storage, and a load circuit.
- Initial plate tests compared single-sided and double-sided PZT plates and series, parallel, and combined plate connections; prototypes were modeled in SOLIDWORKS and then tested by stepping once every 10 seconds while varying weight and walking/running conditions.
- Voltage, current, and elapsed time were recorded to estimate energy delivered to the battery.
Limitations
- The paper states that the wheel-tap prototype’s 5 cm displacement does not actually occur during normal walking or running, so its practical power gain is much smaller than the per-step comparison suggests, and displacement would need to be limited for practicality.
- The paper notes that Prototype I is more compact and flexible for walking areas where floor displacement is not a concern, implying a trade-off between power and practicality.
- Evident from the text: testing details such as participant number, long-term durability, and environmental variability are not reported, and the plate comparison assumes a constant frequency factor.
Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
3 of 7 cited sources checked · 1 supported · 0 flagged · accuracy not yet measured
- Premisecitation
Walking is a major action that dissipates a larger proportion of the locomotive energy.
“Walking is a major action that dissipates a larger proportion of the locomotive energy (Nia et al., 2017)”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 1 sources checked- cites Nia et al., 2017 source
Section 3 (p. 3) describes walking as a main motion in everyday life and a source of considerable vibration energy for harvesting. It does not say that walking dissipates a larger proportion of locomotive energy or make a proportional comparison with other activities. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
- Premisecitation
The mechanical stress exerted on the ground when walking can be used as a source for electrical energy generation.
“the mechanical stress exerted on the ground when walking can be used as a source for generation.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 1 sources checked- cites Nia et al., 2017 source
- Findingown data
Prototype II (wheel-tap mechanism) produced an average power of 5 mW per step at the same walking speed.
“The wheel-tap vibration mechanism uses a chain system to rotate an array of wheels arranged on a shaft.Each wheel taps a plate simultaneously and provides an average power output of 5 mW at the same walking speed.”
- Also stated in: § ˗ · plain
“Prototype II gives an average voltage of 5 V and an average current of 1 mA giving an average power of 5 mW per step.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Also stated in: § ˗ · plain
- Findingown data
In Prototype I, running generates about twice the power output compared to walking.
“The results of Figure 8(a), show that in Prototype I, running generates about twice the power output compared to walking as a result of the greater force and the larger number of steps per second applied during the running than walking.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingnone given
In series connection, the obtained output gives a varied increase every time a plate is added.
“However, the obtained output gives a varied increase every time a plate is added.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
- Findingown data
Prototype II gave approximately 5 times the power output of Prototype I for a two-and-half times larger vertical displacement.
“It is seen that prototype II gives approximately 5 times the power output obtained from prototype I for a twoand-half times larger vertical displacement.”
- Also stated in: § CONCLUSIONS · plain
“While the second prototype produced around 5 times the power output per step”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Also stated in: § CONCLUSIONS · plain
- Findingown data
In parallel connection, the obtained output gives a varied increase every time a plate is added.
“But the obtained output gives a varied increase every time a plate is added.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data
As weight increases, the power output increases somewhat proportional to the weight.
“The results show that, as the weight increases, the output increases somewhat proportional to the weight.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
In parallel connection, voltage remains approximately the same throughout with a slight decrease due to changes in synchronization.
“The voltage on the other hand remains approximately the same throughout with a slight decrease due to changes in synchronization as expected.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Interpretationown data
The 40 mm double-sided piezo plate is the suitable candidate for the project.
“The results indicate that the 40 mm double sided piezo plate is the suitable candidate to carry out the project.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- The authors state this as an assumption: The frequency factor was constant for the single-sided and double-sided PZT plate tests because both were subjected to the same conditions.
- Interpretationreasoning
Around twice the power output can be expected effectively for the same displacement.
“Thus, around twice power output can be expected effectively for the same displacement.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisecitation
At higher frequencies, the output voltage from piezoelectric generation is large.
“The existing research is mostly carried out using low frequency step generation (< 10 Hz), but this research showcases the fact that at higher frequencies, the output voltage is large (Wang et al., 2012).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Wang et al., 2012 source
- Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 3
- The quote only partly states this claim. 1
- May combine two claims. 8
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
PremisecitationPZT (lead zirconate titanate) is the typical piezoelectric material.
“However, the typical material is the perovskite named lead zirconate titanate which is a polycrystalline monolithic piezoelectric ceramic known as PZT (Bobić et al., 2019).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked- cites Bobić et al., 2019 source
The Experimental procedure identifies PZT by its lead–zirconium–titanium formula, and the Results and discussion describes its perovskite structure and refers to ferrite–piezoelectric interfaces. These passages support identifying PZT as a piezoelectric perovskite material, but the paper does not establish that it is the typical piezoelectric material or describe it as a polycrystalline monolithic ceramic; it studies composite films instead. The retrieved passages have section labels but no page numbers. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
The quote only partly states this claim.
Findingown dataPrototype I (rod-tap mechanism) produced an average power of about 1 mW per step (0.96 mW measured) at an approximate walking frequency of one step per second.
“The rod-tap mechanism uses a vertical rod array to strike the plates simultaneously and provides an average output of 1 mW per step with an approximate walking frequency of one-step per second.”
- Also stated in: § ˗ · plain
“Prototype I -produces an average voltage of 8 V and an average current of 0.12 mA giving an average power of 0.96 mW per step.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Also stated in: § ˗ · plain
May combine two claims.
Findingown dataIn testing, the 40 mm double-sided PZT plate gave higher maximum average voltage and current than the 40 mm single-sided plate (19.36 V vs 9.06 V; 0.06 mA vs 0.04 mA).
“Table 1: Comparison of the Maximum Outputs of Various PZT Plates Maximum Voltage (V) Maximum Current (mA) Single sided PZT plate 9.06 0.04 Double sided PZT Plate 19.36 0.06”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- The authors state this as an assumption: The frequency factor was constant for the single-sided and double-sided PZT plate tests because both were subjected to the same conditions.
May combine two claims.
Findingown dataA single PZT plate produced an average power of 140 μW, with an average voltage of 14 V and an average current of 10 μA.
“The initial testing of the plates was carried out, which showed that a single plate produces an average voltage of 14 V and an average current of 10 μA with an average power of 140 μW.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim- Rests on an assumption: Piezoelectric material generates electrical charge proportional to an applied mechanical stress.
May combine two claims.
Findingown dataIn series connection of plates, voltage increases approximately linearly while current remains almost the same.
“As shown in Table 2, in the series connection of plates, the voltage increases, approximately following a linear relationship while the current remains almost the same.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingown dataIn parallel connection of plates, current increases approximately linearly while voltage remains fairly the same.
“In the parallel connection of plates, the current increases, approximately following a linear relationship while the voltage remains fairly the same, as seen in Table 3.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingown dataPrototype II generates about 1.5 times the power output during walking and about 1.25 times during running compared to Prototype I.
“Figure 8(b), shows that the behavior of the Prototype II is very similar to that of prototype I, but that it generates about 1.5 times the power output during walking and about 1.25 times the power output during running.”
- Also stated in: § CONCLUSIONS · hedged
“the gain in the power output in actual walking or running amounts to only about 1.5 times”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Rests on an assumption: The 5 cm vertical displacement of Prototype II does not actually occur during walking or running.
- Also stated in: § CONCLUSIONS · hedged
May combine two claims.
InterpretationreasoningThe expected factor of two in power output was not actually achieved because forces transferred effectively reduce when movement over the tiles is faster.
“The expected factor of two in power output was not actually achieved as forces transferred effectively reduce when the movement over the tiles is faster.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimMay combine two claims.
Interpretationown dataThe work demonstrates the feasibility of using piezoelectric technology for harvesting electrical energy and enhances the possibility of using improved piezoelectric material in renewable micro energy.
“The work demonstrates the feasibility of using piezoelectric technology for harvesting electrical energy and enhances the possibility of using improved piezoelectric material in the field of renewable micro energy.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Rests on an assumption: Human locomotion is a prime source of vibrational energy that gets wasted unnoticed.
- Rests on an assumption: Piezoelectric material generates electrical charge proportional to an applied mechanical stress.
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
PremisecitationThe design of the load circuit attached to the generating mechanism affects the maximum output when the damping force of the piezoelectric plates is much lower than the optimal value.
“The design of the load circuit attached to the generating mechanism affects the maximum output when the damping force of the piezoelectric plates are much lower than the optimal value.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Dicken et al. (2012) source
May combine two claims.
PremisecitationPiezoelectric technology has inherent electromechanical coupling and high-power density compared to electrostatic and electromagnetic, making it a viable candidate for microenergy harvesting.
“The inherent electromechanical coupling and high-power density in piezoelectric technology (Nia et al., 2017;Safaei et al., 2019) compared to the electrostatic and electromagnetic makes it a viable candidate for microenergy harvesting.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Nia et al., 2017;Safaei et al., 2019
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
PremisecitationThe properties of PZT differ with direction of force and orientation of electrodes and its polarization.
“With their anisotropic characteristics, the properties differ with direction of force and the orientation of electrodes and its polarization (Caliò et al., 2014;Tanseer Ali et al., 2020).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Caliò et al., 2014;Tanseer Ali et al., 2020
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
The paper relies on this without support.
The 5 cm vertical displacement of Prototype II does not actually occur during walking or running.
“as the displacement of 5 cm does not actually occur during walking or running.”
The authors state this as an assumption.
The frequency factor was constant for the single-sided and double-sided PZT plate tests because both were subjected to the same conditions.
“The frequency factor was assumed constant as both were subjected to the same conditions.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Human locomotion is a prime source of vibrational energy that gets wasted unnoticed.
“Human locomotion is a prime source of vibrational energy that gets wasted unnoticed.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Piezoelectric material generates electrical charge proportional to an applied mechanical stress.
“The power output of a piezoelectric material, which generates electrical charge proportional to an applied mechanical stress, depends on the factors which are related to the material itself.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The frequency of vibration of the piezoelectric material affects its usability in generation.
“One major concern is the frequency of vibration of the piezoelectric material that affects the usability in the generation.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The output power of a piezoelectric material depends on the input vibration frequency, acceleration of the structure and amplitude of the excitation.
“The output power depends and differs upon the input vibration frequency, acceleration of the structure and the amplitude of the excitation.”
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Rocha citation year differs from the reference entry
MinorThe text cites Rocha et al. as 2010, whereas the listed reference gives 2009.
“Rocha et al. (2010) presented another wearable design using electroactive (β) polymers based on PVDF”
“22. Rocha, J.G., Goncalves, L.M., Rocha, P.F., Silva, M.P. and Lanceros-Mendez, S. (2009) Energy harvesting from piezoelectric materials fully integrated in footwear.”
Ching citation year differs from the reference entry
MinorThe text cites the Ching study as 2019, while its reference entry gives 2018.
“Ching et al. (2019), developed a standalone mounted staircase that uses footstep generation, in which the staircase model was implemented using three different bases.”
“6. Ching, W.A., Geotina, M.J., Gora, N.S., Sucayre, R.J., Santiago, R.V.M. and Martinez, J.M. (2018) Implementation of piezoelectric generator for harvesting energy for different types of staircases with automatic switching mechanism.”
Reported testing cadence differs from the abstract
MinorThe abstract associates the prototype outputs with one step per second, but the testing description says the measurements were taken at one step every 10 seconds.
“The rod-tap mechanism uses a vertical rod array to strike the plates simultaneously and provides an average output of 1 mW per step with an approximate walking frequency of one-step per second.”
“The testing was done by placing 1 step on the tile every 10 s.The results showed that Prototype I -produces an average voltage of 8 V and an average current of 0.12 mA giving an average power of 0.96 mW per step.”
Kymissis citation year differs from the reference entry
MinorThe shoe-design study is cited as Kymissis et al. (1998), but the corresponding reference entry lists 2002.
“In the shoe design discussed by Kymissis et al. (1998), three methods are described”
“14. Kymissis, J., Kendall, C., Paradiso, J. and Gershenfeld, N. (2002) Parasitic power harvesting in shoes, digest of papers.”
Cites
The publisher hasn’t deposited this paper’s reference list.
Research works printed but not linked: 5
- [10]10. Gudur, M.V. and Professor, A. (2017) 'International Journal of Advanced Research in Electrical, Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting using PZT in Floor Tile Design'., pp. 8872- 8879. doi: 10.15662/IJAREEIE.2017.0612018. · DOI
- [12]12. Ismaeel, W.S., Moussa, R.R. and Solban, M.M. (2022) Energy generation in public buildings using piezoelectric flooring tiles; A case study of a metro station. Sustainable Cities and Society. Available at:https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Energy- generation-in-public-buildings-using-tiles%3B-Moussa Ismaeel/7b86f29de9868dc8c23ed40cd2065c1d3f6281 1a [Accessed 16 Feb. 2023].
- [19]19. Patil, S., Parsewar, S., Pranav, B., Aade, S. and Hanmante, S. (2019) Energy generation and implementation of power floor (pavegen). Energy, 6(04) (pp. 3202-3205).
- [21]21. Pen, M. 'Journal of Energy & Environment '., pp. 11-14.
- [25]25. Senthilkumar, A. (2016) Design of power saving system for street light using piezoelectric material. Journal of information, knowledge and research in electrical engineering, 4(1), pp. 586-589.
- Authors
- Withana, A., Samarakoon, S., Amarasuriya, H., Peiris, B., & Lucas, R.
- Affiliations
- General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (LK)
- Corresponding author
- Withana, Anuji
- Venue
- Journal of Advances in Engineering
- Published
- 2023-09-30
- ISSN
- 2950-6921 (ISSN-L)
- 2950-693X
- OpenAlex
- W4413999417
- Semantic Scholar
- 58c05ef85aef0fcb32009acf14991ee9730e270e
- Cited by
- 0
- References
- 0
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Advances in Engineering (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Innovative Energy Harvesting Technologies
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Nuclear Energy and Engineering › Advanced Energy Technologies and Civil Engineering Innovations
- Keywords
- piezoelectric energy harvesting, human footsteps, piezoelectric properties, piezoelectric plates, wearable energy harvesting
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