Chapter Five: Conclusions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Five: Conclusions

 

     The importance of this study is that it can open the door for more efficient ambient energy harvesting. The purpose of this study is to research the possibility of harvesting ambient human energy efficiently. If the knowledge of many disciplines are combined, then it will be possible to conceive an efficient mode of ambient energy harvesting. The first area of research was electrical circuit design because the system being designed would need to be theoretically possible. Another area of research was human biometrics, human gait analysis would help determine the amount of physical energy being exerted at the place where the device would be positioned, i.e. the hip. Pendulum physics was another primary area of knowledge for two reasons: the first reason being that for the specific system intended for design the central mechanism would be a pendulum magnet; the second reason being that according to the previously stated biometrics, the human gait is very similar to the mechanics of a pendulum. On a mechanical design side, the main sources of inspiration were the Accutron watch and a pedometer. The ways in which data were collected and used include the analyzing of the electrical energy output of theoretical circuit design, the formulas involved in determining the rate of change for energy involved in the physics of pendulums; the analyzing of the energy expended at different parts of the body when it is in motion. Over all this device's aim is to develop a practically viable way of alternative portable energy. This in turn could have far reaching implications for all sector of energy production and serve as an impetus for many other technological developments in this area.

      Although know where near the completion of my research, I have amassed a large amount of information of which I previously had no inkling. I thought that perpetual energy (a holy grail of sorts for the fields of physics, math and engineering) could be easily attained if done carefully. I now know that this is of course incorrect but have developed a better understanding of how alternative energy engendered from sources already outputting it in some form has the potential to be a highly effective prospect. Schematic designs involving the swinging motion of a pendulum are theoretically proving to be the most sensitive to the reception of physical energy as a by product of human locomotion. This seems to have something to do with a principal called of which I am not yet familiar with (it is years ahead in my course of math education.)

 

      It seems that I am not the only mind considering harvesting ambient human energy as there are college students and scientists working on a leg-brace-like design that fulfills the same need as my proposed device. The article on this research, as discovered by my mentor Dr. Newcomb, detailed the schematic layout and power output. Unfortunately, their design and concept was rendered with many flaws that my entirely independently conceived concept handles very well. Their device, a modified medical leg brace, is very large and obstructs the wearer's natural gait in order to collect the energy where my device can fit in the palm of your hand and rest unobtrusively on the hip clipped to a belt or pant waist. The researcher's device also outputs a much lower voltage per step than mine can in theory.

      These are the principle but one few of many issues that my design must asses to be a successfully marketed and technologically advanced item. The prime issue of ergonomics, or ease of human interaction, addresses  the industrial design side of this project whose phase will be handled in the development stage of this ongoing project. The surveys of Chapter Four are only a cursory glance at the target market that this device will reach, but it can honestly appeal to any individual seeking to power their electronic device just by living the average kinetic life that the majority of humans do. The continuation of this research will occur during my college years as an Electrical Engineering student with hopes to one day actually create this device.