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Can You Power A Music Streaming Device By Running?

Can You Power A Music Streaming Device By Running?

LADbible has teamed up with the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team to test - could running power your MP3?

Anonymous

Anonymous

LADbible has teamed up with the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team to test out new ways in which we can harness technology to be more sustainable.

In each episode, young technology enthusiasts Anna Ploszajski and Ben Tinegate-Smith walk us through the challenge, build the solution and test the outcomes, supported by the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team engineers.

In this episode of Matter Labs we answer the question - could running power your MP3?

Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team

We all know how important it is to have music playing when you're out on a run. It helps you stay motivated and gives you a good rhythm to move to. So, it's such a pain when your device runs out of battery mid run.

But what if you could keep your music device charged simply by moving?

When shaken, a powerful magnet creates electrical energy as it passes through a tightly coiled wire. The energy is then stored in a capacitor. Simply put: by moving we can create electricity.

This week we'll be seeing if our tech savvy enthusiasts can power an MP3 player with the aid of just a metal coil, an ordinary tube, 10 magnets, a small LED and some of their own movement.

Yep - we're going to be tapping into the power of people!

The average person takes around 4,000 steps per day and in theory, the energy from this movement could be turned into electricity.

So how did Anna and Ben go about harnessing the power of movement?

Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team

They started by creating a coil around an everyday tube and inserting magnets into the tube. As they moved the tube the magnets and coil created a voltage which was shown through the use of an LED light. However, it was small and inconsistent.

Not enough to power an MP3!

They realised the voltage needed to be reconnected from the LED light, and connected to a capacitor. But to harness the power of human movement, it needed to be small enough for the user to wear.

It was time to call in some help from performance engineer Vincenzo Scali from the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team.

Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team

Vincenzo suggested using shock absorbers within the cylinder that bounce the delicate magnets back and forth. Not only does it protect the magnets but it gives them extra expulsion so they pass through the coil more frequently.

After playing around with the magnet and coil size and length of the cylinder to improve efficiency and decrease the height and size for the wearer, they found that decreasing the size and number of magnets actually increased the voltage output.

With the engineers advice and support, the electromagnetic shaker is then attached to the user.

The result?

A 15 minute run creates enough power to play the MP3 device for 90 seconds!

Of the experiment, Ben said: "This kinetic generator project was the most component detailed project yet, looking at each stage of assembly with enough clarity to encourage a prospective engineer to pick up the soldering iron! It was great to show how such a comparably simple collection of materials and processes can demonstrate such important physical and electronic methods and theories."

And Anna shared Ben's enthusiasm: "It was awesome to see scientific theories of electromagnetism come to life in our kinetic generator. I'm impressed that it worked so well and I really think it could be useful as an emergency energy source when my phone runs out of juice!".

Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team

Magnets have the potential to increase sustainability in commercial and industrial applications by creating reusable alternatives to single-use products and what makes them so sustainable is that if they are well maintained, they're infinitely recyclable. We're seeing more and more large companies producing devices using recycled magnets instead of other less eco-friendly and sustainable sources.

Additionally, new recycling initiatives and scientific breakthroughs have the potential to further increase the sustainability of magnets.

If you're interested in pushing the boundaries of what it means to be eco-friendly, we'll be bringing you more inspirational episodes showcasing how sustainable solutions can be brought to life through everyday activities.

When the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team was formed in 2019, their ethos focused on raising the standards in motorsport to define a better and more sustainable future and that's something they've continued to strive for. Similarly, Matter Labs is a place full of ambitious people with an innovative and result-first mindset.

Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team

With both the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team and Matter Labs being disruptors at heart, and always in pursuit of high performance - the partnership just makes sense!

To learn more about sustainable engineering in motorsports and the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team you can follow them on instagram here.

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