A Knee Brace that Powers Your Gadgets

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Energy - 2008

A Knee Brace that Powers Your Gadgets

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-02/uom-kbg020608.php
Scanned by: Fishka 9 months ago

A new energy-capturing knee brace can generate enough electricity from walking to operate a portable GPS locator, a cell phone, a motorized prosthetic joint or an implanted neurotransmitter, research involving the University of Michigan shows. The wearable mechanism works much like regenerative braking charges a battery in some hybrid vehicles, said Arthur Kuo, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at U-M and an author of the paper. Regenerative brakes collect the kinetic energy that would otherwise be dissipated as heat when a car slows down. This knee brace harvests the energy lost when a human brakes the knee after swinging the leg forward to take a step.

Type: Prototype | Also: Technology, Gadgets |

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