Once upon a time, in a land of steam and smoke, there were people of might and intelligence. They created cities and machines on simple principles that could last a millennium. These “Steampunks” as they called themselves created wonders with their technology of hot water vapor and heavy steel but never seemed to look past their coveted steam. When the resources ran out… so did their existence. Fortunately, there are some that are always trying to improve our world. Generating energy has been a long standing order in history and every little step counts. Running water, solar, wind, steam, vibration and… friction? You’ve probably heard or have seen most of the methods listed but, friction? Imagine if you will, the rubber tires on automobile producing electricity simply by rolling down the street. It’s not a fantasy… it’s already happening. There just hasn’t been a way to harvest it until recently. Why have we not heard of this previously? The guess would be Big Energy. Welcome to 2015 where there are more small research projects on clean energy than anyone could ever suppress.
The fancy term is Triboelectric charging. John Wilcke published an official scientific paper on it in 1757. The process is a type of charging in which certain materials become electrically charged after they have been rubbed together. Rubbing glass with fur, or a comb through the hair can build up triboelectricity… wait… this sounds familiar. Static?! You guessed it. That crazy jolt you experience when dragging your socked feet across the floor and opening a door. The same “magick” that causes an inflated balloon to stick to a wall after rubbed on a child’s hair. Most of the everyday static electricity we experience is triboelectricity. The polarity and strength of it differ according to the materials, temperature, and other variables but, rubber tires against stone, cement or asphalt are a genuine source.
Scientists have theorized about being able to harvest this lost energy for years. In 2011 researchers from Georgia Tech and Advanced Metals in Germany published a paper citing research and experiments funded by The US Dept of Defense’s DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), BES (Basic Energy Sciences) and DOE (Dept. of Energy) into this. They developed a “nano generator” to be able to pick up and transmit this energy. The research citations date back to 2001. I wonder how much farther back it really goes?
In June of 2015, engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison along with Professor Xudong Wang have developed a working model of a Nano-generator that functions on a vehicle as small as a toy jeep. There’s no information (that I can locate) on what percentage of lost energy this gizmo is able to recover as of yet. The simple facts are: a) The weight of the vehicle and the speed of the tires make a major impact on the amount of energy produced. b) It works on a toy car. Judging by these alone I won’t hesitate to say that this could be a winner. Officially, Professor Wang estimates that an average vehicle would gain about 10 percent in efficiency (fuel mileage) by converting only 50% of this energy lost to friction. Imagine driving an electric automobile that would recharge itself as you drive. Then let your imagination run with it. What are the possibilities for our world?
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Bibliography
Brodt, L. (2015, June 29). New nanogenerator harvests power from rolling tires.
Henderson, T. (2012). Charging by Friction.
Hu, Y., Xu, C., Zhang, Y., Lin, L., Snyder, R. L., & Wang, Z. L. (2011, July 2).
