Power Generating Shoe

    This Instructable will show you how to create a shoe that generates electricity. It does this by using your energy when you walk and converts it into electricity. If you've ever lost power to your cell phone in the middle of nowhere, then you know how frustrating it can be. But with this shoe, you can charge an electronic device anytime, anywhere. 

   The concept and design are really actually simple. You get a small generator from a rechargeable flashlight, rig it up so you can turn the generator axle when you step down, and channel that energy to a cell phone's (or other device's) charger cord. You can use this when you are jogging or walking or just when you're sitting down and feel like tapping your foot. 

   The materials are really pretty cheap and the project is easy to make. The only thing that you will have to adjust for is that you probably won't have the same kind of shoe I have. So you might need to make some adjustments, but the concept is still the same.

    First of all, you obviously need a shoe. I suggest getting a shoe with the thickest sole available because you'll need to put stuff inside.

Next, you'll need two rechargeable flashlights for their generators. The two pictured below are the two I used and the next picture is one of their generators. I got the flashlights from my local Radio Shack and the brand is MegaBrite.

    The other materials are: a spring, some wood, a small piece of re-bar, some thick wire, some small screws, and a cell phone charger.

As far as tools go, you'll need some basic hand tools, a drill, a band saw (unless you want to do it by hand), and some electrical tape.

Development of The Project:

The power generating soles are one of my first concept projects. I started my first prototype last five years ago although it was a very primitive, compared to my current design. My old prototype had two TO-3 plastic spacer sandwiched between two piezo discs. It produces a fair amount of current, enough to charge a Nokia 3310.

5 years later, I came back with the idea of using the sandwiched piezo setup, this time integrated to a charge collector and powerbank. So I thought, why not add 2 more pairs? After all, more is better.

Concept Behind The Project:

Piezoelectricity was present ever since mid-18th century. Piezoelectricity is the electric charge that accumulates in certain solid materials (such as crystals, certain ceramics in response to applied mechanical stress. This sounds familiar! Yes they do, you can actually find those piezo elements in your old/ outdated earphones from the 90's.