Energy harvesting from human locomotion: gait analysis, design and state of art

Human power is defined as the use of human work for energy generation to power an electronic device. The active powering of electronic devices takes place when the user of the electronic product has to do a specific work in order to power the product that otherwise the user would not have done. As fossil fuels around the world depletes, alternate means of harvesting energy is required. Biomechanical energy harvesting-generating electricity from people during daily activities-is a promising alternative to batteries for powering increasingly sophisticated portable devices. Effectively harvesting energy from walking requires a small lightweight device that efficiently converts intermittent, bi-directional, low speed and high torque mechanical power to electricity, and selectively engages power generation. To achieve this, Linear, Piezo electric and rotary electromagnetic generation methods are implemented on the model to harvest energy from the heel strike. Qualysis Tracking Markers (QTM), insole pressure sensors, and electromyography (EMG) readings are utilized to analyze the human locomotion during a normal human gait cycle. In this methods-focused paper, we explain also the physiological principles that guided our design process and present a detailed description of our device design with an emphasis on new analyses.