HYBRID THINKING

STEP UP TO THE MARK

Hybrid thinking isn’t the sole preserve of the automotive industry, there are examples of clever thinking all around us. Here are some of our favourites...

Nothing goes to waste: a philosophy practiced by few and achieved by even fewer; but Elizabeth Redmond of US company, POWERleap is one. Her product generates electricity from pedestrian and vehicular traffic in urban spaces.

Unlike the well-known and large-scale initiatives like wind farms that pump the power they generate into the national grid, Redmond's technology is designed to power a variety of applications directly. "The electric grid is a great solution for many things but it is extremely inefficient," she says.

"Today, as electronics instruments require less and less power, and smart grid technologies allow us to use power only when needed, we are meeting an opportunity to minimize ‘energy waste'. POWERleap's technology allows us to skip the steps of feeding electricity into the grid just for it to be fed back to that local spot. By skipping those steps we are able to get closer to a no waste solution."

Using special floor tiles and piezoelectric technology, energy from people walking (or even dancing) and energy from cars passing by can be harnessed and used to power the area surrounding the activity. With technical partners across the globe, Redmond is expecting to test out her technology in multinational markets in 2012 and roll it out in the same year.

She sees hybrid technology as very similar to her own in that it is tangible and enabling. She feels that hybrid technology will become even more intelligent and face a continuing challenge: the development of self-sustaining cars. "This challenge will bring with it swift innovation and will eventually take us to a solution that is very close to a zero emissions vehicle," she says. "Hybrid is taking us in a good direction."

www.powerleap.net