Exploring Technology – Issue #4: Power in Your Steps – Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting

Welcome back to the “Exploring Technology” series! In Issue #3, we dived into deep learning with MXNet. Today, let’s shift our focus to a ground-level innovation—quite literally. Ever wondered if your footsteps could power the world? Let’s find out how...

What If Every Step You Took Powered the World?

Pause for a moment… Look at your feet. What if every step you took could light a bulb, charge your phone, or power your city’s streetlights? Sounds futuristic? Not anymore.

Welcome to the world of piezoelectric energy harvesting—where walking = electricity. Let’s take a step (pun intended) into this fascinating technology that’s literally putting power beneath our feet.

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What Is Piezoelectricity—And Why Should You Care?

Imagine stepping on a floor tile and that single motion creates electricity. That’s piezoelectricity at work. Derived from the Greek word 'piezein' (to press), piezoelectric materials generate electric charge when squeezed, bent, or stressed.

Think of materials like:

- Quartz crystals

- Special ceramics like PZT (lead zirconate titanate)

- Flexible polymers like PVDF

These materials, embedded beneath floor tiles, turn your steps into power. Cool, right?

> Try this thought experiment:

How many people walk through your local train station every day? Now imagine converting each step into electricity!

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Where in the World Is This Happening?

Tokyo, Japan:

At Shibuya and Tokyo Station, piezo tiles installed by JR East turn rush-hour foot traffic into electricity, powering lights and digital displays.

London, UK:

Pavegen, a startup, has installed interactive floors that convert footsteps into energy + data. Their tiles powered lighting in West Ham Station during the 2012 Olympics.

Paris, France:

The French have tested piezo sidewalks to light up pathways. It’s clean, silent, and doesn’t need sunlight or wind—just your feet.

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But… What About India?

India, with its billion-strong population and crowded public spaces, is the perfect playground for piezo energy.

IIT Delhi and IIT Kharagpur researchers have developed indigenous piezoelectric tiles. These can light up street lamps in parks, temples, and metro stations.

> Imagine this:

Every darshan in a temple or walk in a metro station turns into a small but collective power surge. Your faith becomes light—literally.

India’s Smart Cities Mission is exploring this tech. We’re not just catching up; we’re innovating our own way forward.

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So... Is This Just a Gimmick?

Nope. Here's what you can actually power:

LED street lights

Public displays

IoT sensors

Charging ports in smart benches

Emergency exit lights

Real-world tests show that 100 people walking per minute can generate up to 10–20 watts—enough to light 2–3 LED bulbs continuously.

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Who Owns the Technology?

Piezoelectricity itself is public-domain science. But specific applications and devices are patented. For example:

US7649305B2: Piezo devices for harvesting motion energy

Read the patent

US8736088B2: Harvesting vehicle and foot motion using piezo + rotors

Read the patent

Pavegen: Owns IP for combining energy + data in urban floors

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Dive Deeper: What the Experts Say

Here are some solid reads if you’re curious about the science:

Ghazanfarian, J., Mohammadi, M. M., & Uchino, K. (2021). Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting: A Systematic Review of Reviews. Actuators, 10(12), 312. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0825/10/12/312 

Akshayveer, A., Buroni, F. C., Melnik, R., Rodriguez-Tembleque, L., & Saez, A. (2025). Environment-friendly technologies with lead-free piezoelectric materials: A review of recent developments, applications, and modelling approaches. arXiv preprint arXiv:2502.20250. https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.20250 

US Patent US7649305B2. Piezoelectric energy harvester. https://patents.google.com/patent/US7649305B2/en 

US Patent US8736088B2. Energy harvesting. https://patents.google.com/patent/US8736088B2/en 

Wikipedia contributors. (2025). Piezoelectricity. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectricity 

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Why This Matters (More Than Ever)

In a world racing toward net-zero emissions, we need clean, decentralized energy. Imagine:

Sidewalks that power street lamps.

Stadium floors that fuel scoreboards.

Gyms that store your workout as watts.

It’s not just innovation—it’s revolution. And it walks on your footsteps.

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Your Turn: What Would You Power with Your Steps?

A charging port at the bus stop?

Your smartwatch?

A lamp in a rural village?

> Drop your wildest ideas in the comments. Who knows—your next walk could spark the next invention!

What's Next?

In the next issue of Exploring Technology, we’ll uncover another cutting-edge innovation reshaping the world of sustainable energy. Stay tuned!

If you missed Issue #3: https://exploring-technology-with-akv.blogspot.com/2025/05/exploring-technology-issue-3-mxnet.html