Pavegen - Smart Flooring
Pavegen looks like a simple floor tile. And that’s exactly what inventor and chief executive of Pavegen, Laurence Kemball-Cook, says it is. A simple floor tile that is made clever by the people who walk over it.
But how exactly does it work?
Power is generated when the tile is compressed. It uses the piezoelectric effect – the ability of certain materials to generate an electrical current when compressed – as well as induction, through numerous tiny copper coils and magnets, to create a charge.
But how exactly does it work?
Power is generated when the tile is compressed. It uses the piezoelectric effect – the ability of certain materials to generate an electrical current when compressed – as well as induction, through numerous tiny copper coils and magnets, to create a charge.
The latest version of the tile, launched this week, generates enough current to power a light for 70 seconds from just three footsteps, and generates 200 times more powerful than the prototype, launched back in 2009.
The company's smart flooring solution relies on pedestrians to generate reusable energy strong enough to power public lighting. When stepped on, the tile causes electromagnetic induction generators to move-setting off a rotary motion that in turn generates power. According to the company, one footstep is enough to generate the amount of off-grid energy needed to light an LED lightbulb for approximately 20 seconds.
The tiles also have a wireless API sensor, which transmits data about movement behaviour in areas where Pavegen is installed. This can help to create an idea of peak times for foot traffic in an area, predict consumer trends, and creates heat maps of popular urban spaces.
When installed in a retail setting, visitors and consumers in a shop are able to earn digital currency for every step that they take, which is collected using a smartphone app and could be used towards a purchase or to donate to charitable causes.
"What that means is that if you walk into a retailer, you are powering 40 per cent to 50 per cent of the lighting," said Laurance Kemball-Cook, CEO and founder of Pavegen.
The technology was created out of a desire to make energy consumption and creation more tangible and approachable. The company claims it sought to find a way for people to further their understanding of issues related to climate change and sustainability.
"There's a way to engage users on another level, beyond energy." said CEO.
"No one can see energy, no one really understands what energy is. But, this makes it real".
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-TECHFEED
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