Bionic Power, a Canadian start-up company, announced last week that it is commercializing a device that will generate electricity from the natural motion of walking and use it to power a broad range of portable devices including iPods and wireless phones.
The Biomechanical Energy Harvester which resembles an orthopedic knee brace, can generate up to five watts of power without creating any noticeable effort for the wearer and is the focus of a peer-reviewed article in the February 8th edition of Science magazine.
Similar to the way a hybrid car can capture energy while moving, the biomechanical energy harvester captures energy from the deceleration phase of walking. The company says one minute of walking with the device could deliver enough power to support 10 minutes worth of "talk time" on a typical mobile phone.