We fell short of our Fall Fundraiser goal of 2,500 donations. Help us catch up ⏩ Give Now
Codebreaker

Power Walker!

Marc Sanchez Aug 25, 2011

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin released a study showing how to power our Smartphones from the kinetic energy in our shoes. That means if you’re walking, you’re plugged in. This technology has been around for a few years, but until now scientists didn’t know how to generate enough electricity to be useable. The BBC describes how researchers figured a way around the problem: “The new personal mechanism uses a principle known as ‘reverse electrowetting’ – converting the energy of moving microscopic liquid droplets into an electrical current. Once placed in a shoe, the device – which consists of thousands of these electrically conductive droplets – is able to generate electrical energy.” The trouble now is figuring out how to plug in your device. You could plug it into your shoe, but that seems, um… a little impractical. The researchers are hoping to figure out a sleeker solution soon.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.