Shoe Powered Electronics

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The United States Army is looking for a device that allows soldiers to charge electronics using their footsteps. The Army is also interested in a device that allows tracking soldier’s locations for their commanders. The Army has recently awarded Robotic Research LLC with a $16.5 million contract for a device that fits on a soldier’s boot and can be used to track the soldier’s location. The company claims that the device has tracking capabilities even in GPS denied zones. 

The Army also wants its soldiers to be able to charge their electronics when out in the field. Similar to the soldier’s location tracker, the Army has recently issued a patent on another shoe-based device that generates electricity with every step a soldier takes.

Every step the soldier takes, his heel presses down into the boot’s insole. There, the force created with each step hits a rotational mechanism that causes a small generator to turn, which in turn creates an electric charge.

“We embedded an energy-harvesting mechanism into a combat boot heel insole,” said Nathan Sharpes, the mechanical engineer that developed the patent. “Each time a soldier’s heel strikes it activates a generator, which spins to produce energy.”

It took the developers several attempts at prototypes until they managed to develop a version that felt natural while walking.

Similarly, the Army has also been testing a “kinetic knee harvester” that utilizes a soldier’s leg movements to produce electricity as the soldier marches. The knee harvest mechanism also helps soldiers slow down when going downhill, this helps the soldiers combat fatigue since they have better control on their descent down hills.

Armytimes.com also reports that Army researchers have also been experimenting with wearable solar panels that can allow soldiers to charge their electronics whenever the sun is out.

It may be likely that the commercial industry will follow the military’s lead and repurpose these efficient energy producing technologies for the civilian market. Who knows? Maybe soon enough you would be able to charge your phone with your shoe too.