Our project works by monitoring and transforming small amounts of raw electrical energy generated from the deformation of piezoelectric plates set in the soles of shoes. We will be using a bridge rectifier and capacitor/external battery pack to transform the erratic energy generated into a smooth flow of power that can be used for various purposes. Three photons will be powered by external batteries unrelated to the energy generated. These photons will be used for remote sensing of raw and converted energy, as well as monitoring/controlling output data. Our motivation for this project is to turn energy that is already exerted on a daily basis, into something useful; in this case, generating power to charge up a device of our choice. This idea could be implemented in other countries where they do a lot of walking and don't have the access to electrical power.
Materials and Methods:Materials/Hardware:
The required materials for our project are documented below: Note that each piece of hardware can be found online for purchase under the "Things" section of the project.
- 1 Jameco Solderless Breadboard
- 3 Particle Photons
- 4 1N4001 Diodes
- 1 Capacitor (100 Microfarads)
- 1 Piezo Chip (1.625" diameter)
- Jumper Wires
- Medium Size Gatorade Cap
Procedures:
1. Gathered all raw materials necessary for project
2. Wrote individual code for each photon based on their individual functions (see Photon Communication Diagram below) on Particle Build website & "flash" code to update photon
3. Assembled full circuit on breadboard with all 3 photons with the bridge rectifier and capacitor
4. Set up real-time graphing with ThingSpeak
5. Use Multimeter to confirm that the bridge rectifier is functioning (converting AC power to DC power)
6. Secure circuit & power bank to shoe
7. Generate power by walking around & deforming the Piezo chip & verify power generation by looking at graphs
Photon Communication:Below is a diagram outlining all photon communication. Our project involves 3 Particle photon chips, all communicating with each other in the following way(s):
Data:
Redundancies are built into our project for real-time monitoring of project success. Our data is processed in several ways, able to be easily viewed on the ThingSpeak website. Raw data from photon 1 can be seen on all ThingSpeak accounts to prove that the piezoelectric chip is working and data is being collected. The voltage across the capacitor (proving that our generated voltage is stored for use) is available for viewing on photon 2 and photon 3's ThingSpeak accounts.
Photo Documentation:
YouTube Link for demonstration and discussion of project and results:
Conclusions:The objective of this project was met, and all data points to the fact that the simple circuit seen above can be used effectively anywhere for simple power generation by walking. The capacitor can be used to power or charge a number of devices, from a small LED to your cell phone (this would involve a more complicated circuit with a transformer, additional wiring, etc.) This project proves the validity of this method of power generation, and that the Internet of Things can be used to monitor our data in real time without issue. Get out there and exercise, and charge your phone while you're at it!
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