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Utilization of Human Footsteps for Power Generation

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"Utilization of Human Footsteps for Power Generation"

Amel Farouk, and Ahmed F. Abdel Gawad

The First Conference of

"Recent Trends in Energy Systems (RTES)"

Organizer: Benha University

Cairo, Egypt

3 October, 2015
 
 Utilization of Human Footsteps for Power Generation
Amel Farouk* and Ahmed F. Abdel Gawad**

*Professor, Electrical Power Engineering Dept., Faculty of Engineering, Zagazig University, Egypt
**Professor of Computational Fluid Mechanics, Mech. Power Eng. Dept., Faculty of Eng., Zagazig Univ., Egypt

Abstract

Due to the rapid depletion of the main fossil source of energy (oil), it is vital to search
for other sources of energy. Also, the global pollution due to traditional sources of
energy moves scientists to search for other sources of green energy. One sustainable and
green source of energy is the power generation from the human footsteps. This research
work aims to design and test a simple device that converts the kinetic energy of the
human footsteps to electrical energy. This device may be used in all crowded spots with
a big number of pedestrians such as mosques, churches, underground stations, theaters,
stadiums, etc. This technique of energy harvesting is suitable for such applications as
street lighting, advertising billboards, and information displays. The device was
efficiently designed, fabricated and tested.

1. Introduction
Industrial development has led to increased prosperity for many people around the world
but has also led to a depletion of natural resources and environmental damage. The
consumption of fossil fuels, on which industrial development has been largely based, has
been recognized as a major cause of climate change. The impacts on the global ecosystem
resulting from climate change are in turn expected to lead to substantial economic losses.
As a result, it is clear that new means of fueling industrial development must be found in
order to avoid compromising the gains in human welfare that have been achieved over the
past decades. People have turned increasingly to alternative energy sources as an answer to
the economical, environmental, political, and social problems linked to fossil fuel use.
Alternative energy sources are broadly defined as energy sources that do not cause or limit
net emissions of carbon dioxide and thus largely avoid the environmental impacts
associated with the combustion of fossil fuels. New and renewable energy sources include
solar energy, wind power, bio-energy, hydropower, geothermal energy, wave and tidal
power, hydrogen and fuel cells, carbon capture and storage, and waste-to-energy.
Human kinetic energy can be transferred in a number of ways. Human energy is most
commonly used to propel bicycles, but can also be used to generate electricity and power

 
hand-crank tools. Some third-world organizations are implementing human powered
technologies to generate electricity to power computers and other appliances.
The subject of power generation from human footsteps and/or human activities was
investigated by a number of researchers [1-11].

2. Idea
The basic idea of this work is to design and implement a device that generates energy
from the human footsteps. This goal is achieved by converting the resulting force of the
weight of the human body that is transferred to the ground by footsteps to a useful
mechanical torque. Thus, electricity can be generated when coupling this device to an
electric generator. This idea is much suitable for crowded places such as airports, train and
underground stations, theaters, stadiums, universities, churches, and mosques.
As for Makkah, due to its holly places, a huge number of people, that may reach
millions, gather in particular times of the year. Usually, people have to march for long
distances when performing their worshiping activities, Fig. 1. The total amount of energy
resulting from their footsteps is enormous. Good utilization of the footsteps energy may
save a big sum of money that goes for electricity generation from traditional fossil fuel
(oil).

Fig. 1 People march during worship activities in Makkah.

The research is divided into main stages:

1- First stage: studying and analyzing the resulting force of the footsteps due to human
weight under all conditions, e.g. angle and amount of force, weight of
pedestrians, weather conditions, etc.
2- Second stage: design a suitable mechanism to transform the reciprocating motion of
footsteps into rotational motion. Among a number of options, a mechanism
similar to that of internal combustion engines (ICE) was designed.
3- Third stage: study the types of electrical generators and their characteristics.
A suitable DC generator was selected. The generator powers a small LED for
demonstration.

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 4- Fourth stage: design of all mechanical components of the device using the
commercial software Inventor [12]. Then, testing the motion of the device
mechanism in the simulation module of the software.
5- Fifth stage: printing engineering sketches. Then, manufacturing all mechanical
components in specialized workshops.
6- Sixth stage: assembly of mechanical and electrical components. Hence, actual testing
of device to adjust its operation.

3. Main components of present model

The assembly of the present model is shown in Fig. 2. The main components of the
model and its working theory will be illustrated in the two coming sections. During the
steps of this study, design calculations were carried out. Moreover, stress analyses were
applied using the commercial software Inventor [12] to make sure that the design
calculations are correct. However, the details of these calculations are not shown here as
the paper concentrates on the present idea and its implementation.

Fig. 2 Present model.

3.1 Piston
The piston is acted upon by the force of the footsteps on the top plate, Fig. 3a. Its
purpose is to transfer force from footsteps to the crankshaft via a connecting rod, Fig. 3b.
The function is reversed and force is transferred from the crankshaft to the piston for the
purpose of re-location of the piston by a suitable pair of springs. The piston is casted from
steel for better strength and fatigue life, Fig. 3c. The connecting rod is attached to the
piston by a wrist pin. This pin is mounted within the piston. The pin itself is of hardened
steel and is fixed in the piston.

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(a) Piston in contact with top plate. (b) Piston contacted (c) Piston after manufacturing.
with connecting rod.
Fig. 3 Piston function and assembly.
3.2 Wrist pin
Wrist pin connects the piston to the connecting rod. Usually, the wrist pin, which is a
forged short rod made of a steel alloy of high strength and hardness, is a pivot or journal.
The shape and dimensions of the present wrist pin is shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 wrist pin.

3.3 Connecting rod

The connecting rod connects the piston to the crankshaft, Fig. 5a. Together with the
crankshaft, they form a simple mechanism that converts linear motion into rotating
motion. The connecting rod is made of steel for the ability to absorb high impact and high
performance, Fig. 5b. The small end attaches to the wrist pin. The big end connects to
crankshaft. The dimensions of the connecting rod and an isometric view are shown in
Figs. 5c and 5d, respectively.

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 (a) Connecting rod assembly. (b) Connecting rod after manufacturing.

(c) Connecting rod dimensions. (d) Connecting rod isometric view.

Fig. 5 Connecting rod.

3.4 Crank shaft

The crankshaft (crank) is the part that translates reciprocating linear piston motion into
rotation, Fig. 6a. To convert the reciprocating motion into rotation, the crankshaft has
"crank throws" or "crankpins", additional bearing surfaces whose axis is offset from that
of the crank, to which the "big ends" of the connecting rod attach, Fig. 6b. The connecting
rod is made of steel for the ability to absorb high impact and high performance, Fig. 6c.
It typically connects to a flywheel to reduce the pulsation characteristic.

3.5 Flywheel
A flywheel is a rotating mechanical device that is used to store rotational energy.
Flywheels have a significant moment of inertia and thus resist changes in rotational speed.
A suitable flywheel was manufactured from steel and attached to one end of the
crankshaft, Fig. 7.

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 (a) Crankshaft dimensions. (b) Isometric view. (c) Crank shaft after
manufacturing.
Fig. 6 Crankshaft.

Fig. 7 Flywheel.
3.6 Bearings
A bearing is a machine element that constrains relative motion between moving parts to
only the desired motion. Bearings are classified broadly according to the type of operation,
the motions allowed, or to the directions of the loads (forces) applied to the parts. A pair of
roller bearings, Fig. 8, was used to hold the crankshaft.

Fig. 8 Bearings.

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3.7 Springs
A pair of helical springs was used to support the top plate, Fig. 9. These two springs
raise slightly the top plate above the horizontal level when there is no force on the top
plate. Then, the two springs restore the top plate to its original position after the removal
of the applied force of the footstep.

Fig. 9 Helical spring.

3.8 Top plate

The top plate is a flat metal plate that receives the forces of the footsteps. The foot rests
on the upper surface of the top plate. The top plate is made of steel and has a length of
300 mm, width of 300 mm, and thickness of 10 mm. The plate is welded to the cover of the
piston, Fig. 10a. The top plate is supported by a pair of helical springs at one end and
hinged to the main frame at the other end, Fig. 10b.

(a) Sketch of the top plate. (b) Top plate fixation.

Fig. 10 Top plate.
3.9 Main frame
The main frame contains all the mechanical and electrical components. It is a metal
cuboid that is made of welded steel bars, Fig. 11. The faces of the frame are covered by
transparent plastic plates to allow the observation of the operation of the mechanism. The
floor of the main frame is made of a steel plate.

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 Fig. 11 Sketch of main frame.

3.10 Support rods

A pair of support rods is placed at the free end of the top plate, Fig. 12a. The support
rod is responsible of the fixation of the helical spring. Also, it limits the movement of the
top plate at the free end. The rod is made of steel, Fig. 12b. Dimensions of the rod are
shown in Fig. 12c.

(a) Picture of support rod. (b) Manufactured support rod. (c) Sketch of support rod.
Fig. 12 Support rod.

3.11 Central support

The central support carries a chamber for the movement of the piston, Fig. 13a. Also, it
acts as an additional support to the top plate, Fig. 13b. It is made of steel. Dimensions of
the central support are shown in Fig. 13c.

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 (a) Picture. (b) Isometric view. (c) Dimensions.
Fig. 13 Central support.

3.12 Generator
A suitable DC generator, with 12 V output, was used. The motion is transferred from the
crankshaft to the generator through two pulleys and belt. The ratio of the diameters of the
two pulleys is 4:1. This means that the generator rotational speed is four times that of the
crankshaft. The generator is connected to a LED to demonstrate the operation of the
mechanism, Fig. 14. AC generator can be used instead of the DC generator if continuous
flow of footsteps is granted. Another alternative is to use DC/AC converter.

Fig. 14 Generator and pulley-belt mechanism.

4. Principle of Operation
The footstep moves the top plate downward, which in turn moves the piston downward.
Thus, the crankshaft rotates and the motion is transferred to the generator through the
pulley-belt mechanism. The movement of the generator lightens the LED. The top plate
restores its original position after the left-off of the footstep by the effect of the flywheel
and the two springs. The two bearings are welded to the floor of the main frame and they
act as supports to the crankshaft, Fig. 15.

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 Fig. 15 Front view of the crankshaft, big bully, and bearings.

5. Operating and Testing

5.1 Actual operation
The device was set into actual operation to validate its success. A male of average weight
(about 70 kg) acted as if he is moving normally with a normal speed and put his right foot
on the top plate of the device, Fig. 16a. Then, as the foot presses harder downward, the
LED operates effectively as seen in Fig. 16b. Finally, after the foot is removed, the top
plate returns to its original position and becomes ready for the following footstep. This
proves that the device operates efficiently. Thus, the idea, design, and production of the
device prove to be correct and applicable.

       

(a) Applying footstep. (b) LED operation.

Fig. 16 LED lightens while operation.

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5.2 Advantages and Disadvantages
Based on the above descriptions, illustrations and tests, the points of advantages and
disadvantages can be stated.

(i) Advantages
• Clean and unlimited source of energy.
• Simple design and construction.
• Short period of design, manufacturing, and assembly.
• Large-scale power generation is possible when a big number of the devices is placed
in crowded places.
• No coolant is required.

(ii) Disadvantages
• Capacity of power generation is dependent on the density of passing persons
(pedestrians).
• The top plate is slightly inclined above the horizontal level.
• The device is relatively heavy because of using steel for the main frame.
• The device is relatively not cheap due to the cost of steel parts and manufacturing
operations.

6. Conclusions
Based on the above illustrations and test observations, the following points can be
stated:
1- The present device proved to work efficiently as a green source of power generation.
2- The device is characterized by its simple design and ease of construction.
3- Generally, the device covers a wide range of applications depending on the output
power. A single device or few devices may produce enough power for lights and/or
electronic appliances (computers, mobiles, etc.). A big number of devices can
produce enough power to supply the public electricity grid.
4- The device is practically useful although it is relatively heavy as it rests on the floor.
5- The cost of the device can be lowered by mass production of the device.

7. Recommendations for better utilization

Based on the above discussions, the following recommendations can be listed:
1- Integrating the device with other sources of green energy such as solar and/or wind
energy.

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 2- Adjusting the generator operation by using a proper electric circle to manage the
output energy. A suitable battery may be added.
3- Using light materials (e.g., composites) to reduce the device weight without reducing
the load-carrying capacity.
4- Applying an electric grid to assemble the output power of many devices that work
simultaneously.
5- Modifying the design to put the upper top plate in the horizontal level.

Acknowledgement
The authors would like to acknowledge Engs. B. Alsurayhi, F. Alghamdi, A. Alhazmi,
A. Alosaimi, F. Almfrji, A. Alsabri, A. Alsweet, Mech. Eng. Dept., Umm Al-Qura Univ.,
Saudi Arabia, for their efforts in accomplishing this work.

Abbreviations

AC : Alternating current

DC : Direct current

ICE : Internal combustion engine

LED : Light emitting diode

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