Orthopedic knee brace to power up gadgets on the go

Coming up with innovative ideas to harness alternative energy is the latest fad. And the latest ingenious attempt is the Bionic Energy Harvester. Designed by the researchers at Simon Fraser University, this device is actually an orthopedic knee brace that can be worn to assist ailing knees. Being absolutely light in weight, this wearable device can actually harvest energy as its helps in moving about with ease. A pair of such a brace can extort up to 13 watts of power. Practically speaking, one minute of walking will generate about half an hour of talking on a mobile phone. Though such an invention may not appeal to common man, it is certainly a boon for those who are dependent on such braces.

Powered from the energy put into slowing down the knee joint at the end of each person’s step, such a device is based on a technique akin to regenerative braking found in hybrids. Though it is touted to be ‘the most promising in a class of products that harvest energy’, it may be some time before we actually see such a green medical product hit the commercial shelves for a layman’s use. However the Canadian military is all set to test the prototype by next spring. that’s some good green news for Canadian soldiers.
This product also bags the honor of being listed in the Best 50 Inventions of 2008 by Time magazine.
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