sustainability
03
Metropolis design competion: “wi-Walk� Emily Elwell
Erik Kreider
Nicole Lamison
Leigh Cohen
Annie Ryan
Yomiko Hirao
sustainability
the objective.
Syracuse University hosted an interdicipliary charette to create design solutions for the 2009 Metropilis Next Generation Design Competition: Fix Our Energy Addiction. The charette brought together interior design and industrial design students in a week long collaborative event. The Syracuse Center of Excellence kicked off the week and also awarded prize money. My team began by analyzing how and when we use energy throughout a typical day. In doing so, we determined that energy is consumed in vast qantities, but we also realized that energy is created kinetically as well. This became the basis of our design for the “Wi-Walk”, a shoe insert that harnesses kinetic energy through peizoelectricity.
We can bring the global community together, through kinetic energy created by a universal activity. This is acheived by placing a kinetic device in one’s shoe. One can simply donate energy without being inconveienced Socially connecting people through the need to find alternative forms of energy, this shoe insert gathers one’s daily kinetic power and deposits it throughout the community. No matter how minute the effort, one will be able to create an impact in order to aid in fighting to conserve our resources and save our world.
03.1
Metropolis design competion: “wi-Walk” Tracking the footsteps of alternative energy....
a day in the life.
By recording one’s movement throughout the day, we can track the energy used as well as the energy that can be gained through motion.
sustainability
technology.
Throughout our research we discovered that several kinetic shoes had been developed, but not many were very efficient. We began to look into several different technologies that are currently being used in different applications. These technologies include piezoelectricity, wi-tricity, and the i-bar.
pi-e-zo-e-lec-tric:
wi-tri-ci-ty:
elecricity from applied stress
transfering electric energy or power
The kinetic energy produced from pressue
over a distance without wires
of walking is sotred in piezoelectric materials, such as a certain varieties of crystals or ceramics. These materials have the ability to generate an electric current from the applied pressure. The piezoelectric materials, and springs to absorb the force of walking, would be contained in the shoe insert. The electricity would be stored in the shoe insert until the individual stepped
i-bar: Intelligent tracking system that detects all objects
onto an energy deposit station.
03.1
shoe insert.
Metropolis design competion: “wi-Walk�
energy track.
sustainability
1
The inserts obtain kinetic energy through walking.
2
An energy pad is found at various places accompainied by the logo.
3
The energy is wirelessly transfered to the pad and distributed to the community.
4
Each individual can see their impact on the global community.
03.1
Metropolis design competion: “wi-Walk” We have created many scenarios tracking the energy of a single person all the way to the energy created by a stadium. These scenarios show that no matter how minute the effort, one will be able to create an impact in order to aid the fight to conserve our energy and save our world. We can bring the global community together through kinetic energy by a universal activity.
impact.
“Together more power than alone.
Active more power than stationary.”
sustainability
future.
Considering the impact that human power can have on a global community, we can bring the world one step closer to fighting our addiction to energy. With the mass amount of human energy created by people all over the world, we can be more responsible for our planet and ourselves.
03.1