Foot Power !

(These are Paris Hiltons feet.)

Millions of people on foot in London will be doing more than getting from point A to point B – they will be powering subways and streetlights via foot power !

Pavegen systems, a London based company with a goal for a zero carbon society decided to take the kinetic energy and convert it into electricity using green pavement slabs that compress 5 millimetres when stepped on. The kinetic energy is stored in an internal battery or sent along a wire to a light source. 8 million people walk the streets of London everyday, taking over 11 trillion steps every year.

But in case people are weary their souls will be snatched upon gracing these glowing, turf like slabs, the disc in the middle of the rubber surface glows every time they are stepped on – kind of like those sweet light up shoes that really inspired us when we were young’ns.

The slabs, made of 100% recycled car tires, are put in areas where at least 50 000 steps are taken every day. The goal is two have 5 slabs around every bus stop in London, and 16000 of them installed by summer 2012.

The concept of using our crowded streets to fuel the urban environment is the pinnacle of recycling - and we can count on that resource not running out, to be sure. They look a little futuristic and scary, but the light actually increases pedestrians visibility at night, making the streets less foreboding during the wee hours. Cool idea !