Electrowetting process helps you generate power while you walk

I still remember when I first walked into the cinema prior to the turn of the new millennium to watch ‘The Matrix’, and boy, was I truly blown by Neo’s exploits as the potential One. When Morpheus explained to Neo on how the machines used us as batteries, I suppose this is what kickstarted the idea of harnessing the reverse of the electrowetting process – where a liquid that is normally hydrophobic, will be forced to move by applying an electric current, and this is achieved by a pair of shoes that reverse the process, forcing the mixture instead over several electrodes in order to create a current while you walk, where all this pent up energy is stashed away in a reserve battery for future use.

It seems that you can generate around 10 watts of power through the simple act of walking along, now how about that? Hopefully the team of engineers from the University of Wisconsin will be able to further develop this idea and commercialize it. In fact, their idea will also incorporate a microUSB port located at the back, letting you juice up compatible gizmos whenever you’re not walking and there are some power reserves inside. Now this would be the shoe to get for all geeks, what do you think? Hopefully all the relevant holes and plug points on the shoe itself can be securely covered to prevent water from heading in during wet and rainy days.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Gadgets, Green
Tags: shoes