Piezoelectric Energy harvesting from shoes of Soldier

Abstract

-In recent times low powered devices are gaining popularity, one of the main reasons being their portability and hence the demand increases for low power & portable energy sourees. Apart from the conventional and non-conventional methods of generating power, researchers are finding other ways of utilizing the energy that is wasted in the environment in form of vibrations, pressure, heat, sound, etc. Thus, Energy harvesting from the environment comes out as a clean and sustainable way to power these devices. In this paper an attractive approach is proposed to harvest energy from human shoes particularly Soldier's shoe. A soldier carries numerous electronic gadgets for his mission which needs uninterrupted power supply. An alternative way is proposed here to power the Soldier's Electronic System or to recharge his batteries. This approach is implemented with the help of piezoelectric materials. The idea is to incorporate piezo polymers i.e. PVDF stacks beneath the heels of their shoes and generate electrical power merely by walking/running. This approach generates clean & green power which can even be stored for future use in absence of load. DC-DC converters were employed to maximize the electrical power from the material, to store it in a Super capacitor & to enhance the efficiency of the system. This power can be later utilized to power the soldier's electronics gadgets or and can also power a passive RF tag system for tracking soldier's in remote areas.