What powers these electronics? We do!
Inspiration often comes from unusual sources. Nelson Sepúlveda knows this firsthand. He got his big idea for a new source of power simply by looking out the window at the right time.
Sepúlveda is an engineer at Michigan State University in East Lansing. He studies materials that can be used to build tiny electronic devices. Those devices need power. But Sepúlveda doesn’t want to power them with batteries, which are bulky and wear out. He wanted to find something better.
In 2012, he realized one such power source was closer than he’d imagined. He had been discussing his research with a group of scientists. During the meeting, he looked out the window as a student ran by, wearing headphones. Her arms and legs swung back and forth. This jogger’s feet rose and struck the ground, up and down, again and again.
Suddenly it dawned on Sepúlveda: “There’s a lot of energy in that movement that’s not being used.”
Read more at Science News for Students.
Image credit G.L. KOHUTH/MSU