BPI Electric Fitness: Project Update

This semester, BPI has organized a group independent study project to design and build energy-generating weight-training equipment. The project, which consists of 15 Brown students and a mechanical engineer from Toronto, is another step in the larger effort to harness the mechanical energy that gym-goers produce into electrical output, all while maintaining the same functionality or even improving it for the user. We are working with our advisor, Professor of Engineering Chris Bull, to get acquainted with currently available technology and what might suit our system best.

Having decided on the type of system we will pursue for the energy translation, we are currently in the design phase and are awaiting funding and materials to begin building thereafter. For more about our project, check out bpi.betterxdesign.org, our page in the Better x Design organization's projects section.

MIT knows PROGRESS

"

More power from bumps in the road

MIT students develop energy-harvesting shock absorbers

David Chandler, MIT News Office
February 9, 2009

A team of MIT undergraduate students has invented a shock absorber that harnesses energy from small bumps in the road, generating electricity while it smoothes the ride more effectively than conventional shocks. The students hope to initially find customers among companies that operate large fleets of heavy vehicles. They have already drawn interest from the U.S. military and several truck manufacturers.

Senior Shakeel Avadhany and his teammates say they can produce up to a 10 percent improvement in overall vehicle fuel efficiency by using the regenerative shock absorbers. The company that produces Humvees for the army, and is currently working on development of the next-generation version of the all-purpose vehicle, is interested enough to have loaned them a vehicle for testing purposes.

The project came about because "we wanted to figure out where energy is being wasted in a vehicle," senior Zack Anderson explains. Some hybrid cars already do a good job of recovering the energy from braking, so the team looked elsewhere, and quickly homed in on the suspension.

They began by renting a variety of different car models, outfitting the suspension with sensors to determine the energy potential, and driving around with a laptop computer recording the sensor data. Their tests showed "a significant amount of energy" was being wasted in conventional suspension systems, Anderson says, "especially for heavy vehicles."

Once they realized the possibilities, the students set about building a prototype system to harness the wasted power. Their prototype shock absorbers use a hydraulic system that forces fluid through a turbine attached to a generator. The system is controlled by an active electronic system that optimizes the damping, providing a smoother ride than conventional shocks while generating electricity to recharge the batteries or operate electrical equipment.

In their testing so far, the students found that in a 6-shock heavy truck, each shock absorber could generate up to an average of 1 kW on a standard road -- enough power to completely displace the large alternator load in heavy trucks and military vehicles, and in some cases even run accessory devices such as hybrid trailer refrigeration units.

They filed for a patent last year and formed a company, called Levant Power Corp., to develop and commercialize the product. They are currently doing a series of tests with their converted Humvee to optimize the system's efficiency. They hope their technology will help give an edge to the military vehicle company in securing the expected $40 billion contract for the new army vehicle called the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV.

"They see it as something that's going to be a differentiator" in the quest for that lucrative contract, says Avadhany. He adds, "it is a completely new paradigm of damping."

"This is a disruptive technology," Anderson says. "It's a game-changer."

"Simply put -- we want this technology on every heavy-truck, military vehicle and consumer hybrid on the road," Avadhany says.

The team has received help from MIT's Venture Mentoring Service, and has been advised by Yet-Ming Chiang, the Kyocera Professor of Ceramics in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and founder of A123 Systems, a supplier of high-power lithium-ion batteries.

Not only would improved fuel efficiency be a big plus for the army by requiring less stockpiling and transportation of fuel into the war zone, but the better ride produced by the actively controlled shock absorbers make for safer handling, the students say. "If it's a smoother ride, you can go over the terrain faster," says Anderson.

The new shocks also have a fail-safe feature: If the electronics fail for any reason, the system simply acts like a regular shock absorber.

The group, which also includes senior Zachary Jackowski and alumni Paul Abel '08, Ryan Bavetta '07 and Vladimir Tarasov '08, plans to have a final, fine-tuned version of the device ready this summer. Then they will start talking to potential big customers. For example, they have calculated that a company such as Wal-Mart could save $13 million a year in fuel costs by converting its fleet of trucks."

The Green Microgym

Here is an article from the BBC featuring pioneers of the green fitness movement. The article discusses the Green Microgym in Portland, Oregon, and its founder Adam Boesel, and the inventor of the Human Dynamo system, Mike Taggett. I have been in touch with both men regarding our project for the upcoming semester. The article sheds some more insight on what success in this arena looks like. See the article and accompanying videos here: BBC News - The Green Microgym

"We waste so much energy and by starting this gym and really being focused on energy conservation, there are so many things that I've found that are very easy for people to do to save energy."

The goal is to have the gym run solely on the energy it generates.

"Especially in these times, the ability to at least make some small impact on improving the future of not only this country or the community, but really the world…is a really motivating factor for people right now."

"I think in 20 years it's going to be standard for all gyms,' adds Mr Boesel.

Power-Generating Revolving Door!

So this has been a topic of discussion for BPI all semester. We thought this would be a great idea, but the project hit some snags while still in the idea phase. Looks like the Dutch were able to get it working. Thanks to Zindzi McCormick for pointing us to Inhabitat.com:

Harvesting the kinetic energy generated by crowds of people is one of our favorite approaches to renewable energy. Recently Netherlands-based Natuurcafé La Port installed an energy generator in a rotating door, so every time someone walks in for a cup of coffee, they give just a little bit of their energy back to the coffee shop. We keep saying that solving the problem of global warming will require that we open up new doors in the field of renewable energy, but we must admit that we never expected to mean it literally!

The door was part of the refurbishment of the Driebergen-Zeist railway station designed out by architecture firm RAU and built by Boon Edam. The door is expected to generate around 4600 kwh of energy each year, which may not sound like much - but every little bit helps. To enhance the design, the team decided to include a transparent ceiling to show how the system works, and LEDs display the amount of energy that it is generated each time someone walks in the door.

Paper Water Bottle

Thanks to GWB3 for the link:

Extremely innovative new packaging from Brandimage, who was responsible for everything including concept development, branding, prototyping, engineering, and product design. The 360 Paper Bottle is the first of its kind in the world, and a true environmentally-friendly solution to the problem of plastic water bottles:

CHALLENGE
Each day, Americans throw out 60 million plastic bottles. Only 14% actually get recycled—
meaning 86% become garbage or litter. We looked at this as a radical problem requiring an
equally radical solution. Could we design a container that would leverage sustainability, be
easy to transport, and enhance the consumer’s drinking experience?

SOLUTION
The 360 Paper Bottle is a sustainable vision of the future. It is the first totally recyclable
paper container made from 100% renewable resources. Versatile in its range of consumer
applications and made from food-safe and fully recyclable materials, it decreases energy
consumed throughout the product life cycle without sacrificing functionality. It is paper
packaging that stands up to all liquid categories.

Cool Concept for an Energy-Use Monitor

Wilting flower dies as energy use blooms

(Credit: Carl Smith)

If powering up your amp and monster TV leaves your neighbors in blackout misery, this new energy monitor could be for you. Dubbed the Wilting Flower, it's a visual reminder of how much electricity you're guzzling at any one moment. When you're using very little juice, it's a perky little flower with its petals open, but as you use more energy it goes red and--if you maintain your prolifigate ways--eventually wilts and closes up. Subtle? No. Quirky? Yes.

Designed by Carl Smith of Doncaster, England, the Wilting Flower is essentially a fancy-looking version of the Wattson, Efergy Meter, and OWL. It works by chatting wirelessly to a clip that you DIY install onto your electricity meter (if it's as easy as the Wattson, you won't electrocute yourself). We like Smith's graphic approach to reminding us of our energy use, since most of today's energy monitors employ a rather boring screen that shows how many watts or pounds you're burning.

Sadly the flower's just a prototype right now, but there are hopes for a production version that would sell for ?60 (about $92). Watch this space; Smith's portfolio has more details and photos.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10110799-1.html

The Ecological Effects of Wind Energy on Bats

As you likely already know, some (two) of us went down to lovely Kingston, RI on Wednesday to attend a talk at URI. The talk was put on by the Rhode Island Natural History Survey, and was given by Professor Thomas Kunz of Boston University.

A foremost expert in bat ecology and biology, Dr. Kunz took us through the ecological effects that the preponderance of wind energy is having on bat habitats throughout the continent. Here's some of what we learned from Dr. Kunz:

1. The diameter of a standard 1.5 megawatt (MW) wind turbine is 70 meters, approximately the length of a Boeing 747 airliner. This large area increases the incidence of animal casualties.
2. Wind infrastructure is projected to supply 20% of U.S. power demand by 2030, so there will only be more proliferation of the turbines causing ecological problems - even in offshore wind farms.
3. 4 to 6 acres is cleared per new turbine built in forest areas, and the clearing produces large tracks of new forest-edge habitat used by migratory tree bat populations.
4. Bats are not just cut down in flight by the blades, but are actually attracted by the sight, heat, and noise of the blades.
5. Bats do not die exclusively from direct contact with turbine blades; rather, they experience fatal respiratory trauma from the decompression of air that occurs in the space near the spinning blades (i.e. their lungs simply explode without any contact).
6. Most bat fatalities that result from wind energy occur in the late summer or early fall, and when wind velocity is below 6 meters/second.

So should we be looking to implement wind energy? YES. The key is finding better solutions that are sensitive to ecology, and to the conditions that exist in Providence. Rhode Island Governer Donald Carcieri has made a serious commitment to wind energy, and we can and should still be a part of his pledge.

The answer could rest in a different type of turbine. Smaller and cheaper, these "Windspire" turbines by Mariah Industries provide a less unsightly and new packaging for wind technology. It is a different design, deemed less dangerous for wildlife. Minimal clearing, far less noise pollution, and aesthetic appeal means that this is something to consider. Read about the Windspire here.