鞋子充電器 邊走路邊充電

The nightmare of your mobile phone running out of power mid-conversation could be over, for researchers at the University of Wisconsin have invented a device that, placed in a shoe，can harvest the kinetic energy from walking to power a mobile phone。

Scientists have been working for years on trying to harness the energy produced from walking, which theoretically is sufficient to power a light bulb, smart phone or even a laptop。

But until now their solutions have been too cumbersome, or have not produced enough power to be useful。

藏在鞋子中的行走充電裝置

Now, engineering experts Tom Krupenkin and Ashley Taylor say they have come up with a technology which can produce as much as a hefty 10 watts of power。

After testing various liquids, the researchers chose a metal alloy called Galinstan. Used in thermometers, it is similar to mercury but not poisonous。

Two small pouches, placed in the bottom of a shoe, are filled with the fluid and generate a current whenever they are compressed by the foot’s up and down motion。

Transferring the energy from a device in a foot to a phone in the hand presents an obvious hurdle。

Rather than plugging a cable into a shoe, the Wisconsin researchers suggest installing a wireless transmitter in the heel. This could make radio contact with mobile phone base stations。

Professor Krupenkin said: "Humans were‘very powerful energy-producing machines’ that could produce as much as a kilowatt of power while sprinting."據英國《每日郵報》8月25日報道，通話時遭遇手機突然沒電的經歷或許就要成爲歷史。美國威斯康星大學的研究人員研發了一種可以嵌入鞋子的裝置，可從行走中獲取動能從而爲手機充電。

爲了利用人們在走路過程中所產生的能量，科學家們已經探索了好多年。理論上講，這種能量足以滿足燈泡、智能手機甚至是一部筆記本電腦的工作需要。

但是，直到現在，他們的方案都太過繁瑣，或者難以產生足夠的可以使用的能量。

如今，工程專家湯姆•克魯本勤和艾希莉•泰勒表示，他們已經研發了一項技術，可以產生高達10瓦的能量。

在測試過不同的流體後，研究人員選擇了一種名爲Galinstan的合金。將其注射進溫度計後，研究人員發現它與水銀很相似，不過沒有毒性。

當他們將兩個裝有該流體的小袋子置於鞋內時，它們就會因人腳擡升和下落的動作而受到擠壓，從而產生電流。

而如何將裝置內的能量從腳部傳輸給手上的手機明顯就成了難題。

威斯康星的研究人員用安裝在腳後跟的無線發射機取代了需要塞進鞋子裏的數據線。這樣能量就可以與手機基站取得無線電聯繫。

克魯本勤教授說：“人類是非常強大的‘能源生產器’，人在疾跑時可以產生上千瓦的電量。”