Talk about weight off your shoulders! Scientists are developing a future backpack that feels 20% lighter and can extract energy from your transitions into electricity
- U.S.-based researchers made a sleek backpack out of two elastomers
- It reduces direct movement in loads and thus reduces wearer stress
- A review of the device reveals that it reduces load weight by more than 21 percent
Whether it’s on your way to the gym, or on a trip to the beach, many people use backpacks to carry their personal belongings.
While backpacks are very practical, they can put a lot of pressure on your back and shoulders.
But help could be at hand soon, in the form of a new backpack that will reduce the stress on the wearer by 21 percent.
The sleek piece of equipment is made of two elastic materials that reduce some of the weight from the backpack by reducing direct movement of the contents.
Also nestled in the new age backpack is an electric generator that delivers power from the consumer’s body movement to power and cost devices.
The designers believe the backpack could be especially useful for athletes, explorers and disaster rescuers working in remote areas without electricity.
A prototype backpack has been built that will reduce the weight on the consumer by 21 percent. The sleek piece of equipment is made of two elastic materials reducing vertical movement and using this to generate electricity.
Energy harvesting bags have been around for a while, but none that actively reduce the overall load, the researchers say.
The latest feather uses elastic materials to detach a bearing section inside the barrier that moves out the bumps up and down 28.7 percent.
As a result, the weight is held longer for a longer period of time and this helps to take the load off the wearer’s neck, shoulders and back.
Switching from the frame of the bag to electricity was 14 percent effective, the researchers say.
This was enough to power LEDs, an electric clock and fluorescent tubes, the researchers found.
The prototype could be ‘particularly useful’ for athletes, researchers and disaster rescuers, who work in remote areas without electricity, the developers say.
The author of the study, Dr. Zhong Lin Wang, from the Georgia Institute of Technology in the USA, said: ‘Previously, researchers have used triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) to make energy saving bags, but the bags had low power yields. that and did not provide additional benefits, such as discounting loads or accepting panic.
‘We wanted to design a prototype that would go beyond those boundaries.’
Dr Zhong Lin Wang said: ‘Backpacks are widely used in daily life for carrying hands-free loads.
‘Over time, however, walking or running with a heavy bag can cause back and neck pain.
‘Also, backpackers in desert areas or even those in cities that don’t have access to a charger might want a bag that can harness walking mechanical energy to power portable electronics or health monitoring sensors. ‘
The next hurdle is making the bag more energy efficient so that it can charge phones and sensors, the researchers say.
Dr Wang said: ‘Once some challenges are overcome, such as improving energy conversion efficiency, the barrier has promising potential as a power source for small and portable electronics, GPS and sensors. health care. ‘
Switching from the frame of the bag to electricity was 14 percent effective, the researchers say. This was enough to power LEDs, an electric clock and fluorescent tubes, the researchers found. Pictured is a scheme of the different layers of a backpack
Other models have used springs to use energy from the kick of the backpacks instead of rubber. But this stresses the bag.
Reducing the load while producing energy could benefit people who spend a lot of time in remote and hostile environments, such as scientists or soldiers.
The findings were published in the journal ACS Nano.