Alternative energy is being held back by a lack of innovation. We have the ideas. It’s about integrating those ideas into everyday life and producing enough energy to power our needs. In fact, we can even use our own energy to produce power for other electronic gadgets, and electricity might very well be the main fuel for the future of transportation.

The POWERleap Tiles harness all of the energy we use simply by walking around. What might be the future flooring in our homes and businesses, the POWERleap uses our daily walking and converts that energy into electricity. So you could literally walk and charge at the same time.

The tiles use piezoelectricity, generating electricity by applying mechanical stress to lead zirconate plates. If enough people are walking on these tiles, you can harness enough power to light and possibly heat a whole building. Heck, it might even get you to walk a little more if you have them in your home, which translates to a little more exercise for you.

Designer Elizabeth Redmond is on the hunt for venture money and expects funds to help her promote the POWERleap into the mainstream. While it might not be a form of energy we can rely on for everything, the future of power is most likely bound to be an integration of many different methods. Human power itself might be one of them.

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