Crowd Farms: future energy production???

a new idea that 2 students from MIT dreamt up to harvest the power of human beings...a little close to the matrix sounding but actually a feasible idea that caught my eye so i thought i'd post it

it is a way to harness the kinetic energy of the footsteps of crowds of people in buy areas...its thought that the energy from a single step could briefly light up 2 60 watt lightbulbs and thus if u multiply it up thousands fold then the energy from 30,000 steps would b enough to power a train breifly and 84 million steps would be enough to launch a space shuttle

the idea is to replace normal concrete slabs with ones that move slightly on contact and create a dynamo effect to generate electricity

obviously in itself it couldn't be a massive source of energy but renewables need to gather power from any source available and this could contribute it a small way provided its used in busy areas such as subway/underground stations and busy shopping centres

it could b a way to offset the massive amounts of energy used at concerts whereby the crowd movement could help offset the energy used at the gig...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20201266/

Fascinating. I still believe research into zero point energy to be key. That and cold fusion. Let's go for the holy grail!

might work in a nightclub.

Not a bad idea. I'd like to see a cost/watt sort of ratio for the technology at this point (installation and labour included of course). It sounds like a funky gadget, but I don't really see it as a potential source of power, at least now.

Might work, crowd movement can transfer a respectable amount of force on a surface. Pinkpop 1998 for example, the crowd caused local eathquakes measuring 1.5 and near 2 on the scale of Richter during the performances of Primus and Rage Against the Machine.
Question remains, is the industrial process of making these dynamo-tiles 'clean' enough to make it a environmentally friendly source of energy compared to their energy output?

Originally posted by Dexter_Morgan
Fascinating. I still believe research into zero point energy to be key. That and cold fusion. Let's go for the holy grail!

Indiana Jones already found the ****ing grail, dumbass.

Originally posted by Robtard
Indiana Jones already found the ****ing grail, dumbass.

You're a mexican right?

Originally posted by Dexter_Morgan
You're a mexican right?

Correct, you fat bastard.

Originally posted by Robtard
Correct, you fat bastard.

I know you are but what am I Gringo.

Just cause your mustache places you in the Village People.

🙂

Originally posted by Dexter_Morgan
I know you are but what am I [B]Gringo.

Just cause your mustache places you in the Village People.

🙂 [/B]

Fattysplat. 🙂

girlyfat

🙂

Yes you are both fat. I have seen your pictures old men.

🙂

teehee

*bites tongue*

Originally posted by Schecter
teehee

*bites tongue*

Above post by a small girl with a lisp

🙂

Originally posted by Dexter_Morgan
Yes you are both fat. I have seen your pictures old men.

🙂

I never posted my pic... so der der duh duh. Schecter may be a hairy Italian ape, he certainly isn't a fatty though, you fat bastard. 🙂

Volunteer for the "crowd energy walking" thing though, might burn off a few kilos and power a few street lights, jiggle belly. 🙂

Get back on topic.

I think it is a great idea.

As Pandemoniac pointed out, the way in which this technology is built needs to be clean and the materials themselves need to be environmentally friendly. I would say that the tiles should not be too big but not too small. Maybe 1X.5 meter.(or smaller)

Also, these tiles should be rounded on the ends to keep people from tripping, depending on how deep they will let the tiles depress when stepped on.

Depending on how deep the tiles depress, it could actually be easier on the joints to walk on these tiles.

If they could make really tiny "tiles" then it would be more natural to walk on. (Just like a picture is made of pixels and he more dense the pixels are packed in, the harder it is to see actual pixels.)

Originally posted by Robtard
I never posted my pic... so der der duh duh.

Because you are ugly and fat obviously

🙂

Gringo

Several lessons to be learned from this thread.

1) don't speak out of character; it gives you away (for the 100th time)

2) don't talk out of your ass.

and 3) don't speak to a sock like they deserve it.

What is going on here? Where is the discussion?

Originally posted by dadudemon
Get back on topic.

I think it is a great idea.

As Pandemoniac pointed out, the way in which this technology is built needs to be clean and the materials themselves need to be environmentally friendly. I would say that the tiles should not be too big but not too small. Maybe 1X.5 meter.(or smaller)

Also, these tiles should be rounded on the ends to keep people from tripping, depending on how deep they will let the tiles depress when stepped on.

Depending on how deep the tiles depress, it could actually be easier on the joints to walk on these tiles.

If they could make really tiny "tiles" then it would be more natural to walk on. (Just like a picture is made of pixels and he more dense the pixels are packed in, the harder it is to see actual pixels.)

Good point there. The stuff has to remain comfortable for pedestrians. Maybe it's possible to harness energy from the low frequency vibrations caused by footsteps, so the tiles themselves won't have to depress or move much at all. But that would require a very vibration-conductive material for the tiles and a very effective sort of generator/dynamo that can somehow transfer that energy.