2 August 2012
Heated Trousers and Sustainable Walkways: A whole new ball game at the London
Olympics
IDTechEx, Cambridge, UK
Heated Trousers and Sustainable Walkways: A whole new ball game at the London
Olympics
By Dr Harry Zervos, Technology Analyst, IDTechEx
With the Olympics underway, the whole world is looking to London and the
excitement the Games are promising over the next couple of weeks. What sometimes
goes unnoticed is the innovation that is ever present in the games, the
limelight being stolen by exciting duels, explosive races and record breaking
performances.
At the IDTechEx Energy Harvesting and Storage event, in Washington DC on the
7th and 8th of November 2012 (www.idtechex.com/ehUSA) the focus will
shift away from the athletes for a change and look at the technology innovations
that were made possible at the London Olympics. The Olympic Delivery Authority
(ODA) will be one of the keynote speakers at the conference and will highlight
the utilization of energy harvesting at the Olympic Park, using human footfall
harvesting.
Adidas, British Cycling and the pair of heated trousers…
But other than the ambitious project of harvesting pedestrian power from a
million pairs of feet to light the sustainable walkway to the London 2012
Olympic Park, another interesting example of innovation comes from the British
cycling team, and its collaboration with Loughborough University and Adidas,
that lead to the development of battery powered tracksuit trousers that bridge
the gap between warm-up and competition, keeping the leg muscles at an optimum
38 degrees Celsius during the waiting period. Called ADIPOWER, they’re said to
perform a job similar to tyre warmers in Formula 1 racing, pre-heating the
muscles in a bid to improve performance. The trousers have battery-powered heat
filaments that sit over the cyclist’s core muscle groups and maintain their
temperature between warm-up and the start. They have a quick release too, which
allows them to be removed at the last moment before a race.
Adidas battery-powered heated tracksuit
This is just another example that proves that having been heavily interested
in energy harvesting and storage and its integration into sports apparel for
several years, Adidas remains at the forefront of innovation, always ready to
embrace and utilize emerging technologies in order to achieve optimum
performance for athletes, when they need it most.
The Olympic Delivery Authority and energy harvesting
On to footfall energy harvesting though and its integration into the Olympic
park. Developed by Pavegen, the 12 installed floor tiles, powered by the feet of
spectators, will be supplying the energy that will be used to power twelve LED
spotlights illuminating the length of the walkway from West Ham station to the
Olympic Park, providing full power for eight hours at night but also for 16
daylight hours at half power.
When stepped on, the tiles flex by 5mm converting kinetic energy into a
useful electrical output. Based on an average of six watts per footstep at an
expected 12 million footsteps, the tiles will generate 20 kilowatt- hours (kWh)
or 72 million joules of energy during the Games.
Pavegen’s Sustainable Walkway at West Ham Station, heading to the Olympic
Park
Speaking at Energy Harvesting and Storage USA, Mostyn Woodhouse, technical
manager with the ODA was formerly the design manager that led the engineering
design of the temporary capacity enhancement works at West Ham station of the
London Underground. Under this assignment he was able to integrate and implement
an emerging technology such as footfall energy harvesting as a demonstration
project that will in future lead to permanent installations in highly trafficked
concourses. A civil engineer he specialises in the design and construction of
multi-disciplinary works on London Underground and other rail systems.
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