Power Generation on Steps

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paternoster

Like a tread mill, the trouble is the user wouldn't actually get anywhere.
There is a fundamental point there...but I'll let you work out what it is...
Del

You'll need some type of piezo electric material to cover the steps. Then each time a foot touches the step, a small amount of power will be generated.

I hope these aren't steps in a tall building! The generator will draw extra energy from the pedestrians.

On the way up or down?

by both when stepping on it

GA and well put.

I think the idea is a no no and probably going to cause accidents as well.....

Put hole in floor, fall to lower level, land on platform with piezoelectric transducers. Use $.02 electrical energy to offset hospital costs.

Sorry, I could not help being goofy on that last post.

When considering something new and it's feasibility I always start by trying to determine if overall objectives are being met.

I would start by seeing what the total amount of energy available is. Meaning how much energy is available by raising 200 pounds over nine feet in X seconds every 30 minutes (or bringing it to a stop at the end of a fall). Obviously only a fraction of this would be recovered but this can then be compared to what you are trying to power. If you are trying to heat your home or run a refrigerator I think we all know how this will compare. If you are trying to power an IPod that's different.

Another possible scenario is how much total energy can you recover from "footfall". The maximum energy available can be estimated based on the foot/leg impact. There is possibly heavier footfall going down as opposed to up. After estimating this and realizing you will only recover a portion of this energy, you can once again compare it to how much energy you want.

These generalities may sound to general to do you any good, but there have been things I have worked on in the past that some general "guesstimates" made me realize the project is a non starter. Or it has also told me to spend some time and get more application specific.

The next step may be looking at the cost/benefit. If $4000.00 worth of piezoelectrics and batteries allow me to toast two slices of bread, three times a day the project may not be worth it. Unless I do not have any other form of electricity and I really love toast.

The

Actually Lynlynch had the best answer to your question. you will need piezoelectric devices to provide the power needed. this is/was being tested by a university student (saw it on one of the science channels) who basically had a similar idea, but instead of steps the researcher proposes embedding piezoelectric crystals in streets with high pedestrian traffic. The power values were quite impressive with the tests which showed obvious large scale potential. sorry can't even remember the name of the show. tried googling it to no avail ....maybe someone else is a better "googler" or "binger" than I am.