Aerospace giants Lockheed Martin and the STC Footwear company have teamed up to develop incredible 'kinetic boots' that harness the energy from wearers' movements. The shoes are targeted towards Marines, who often carry heavy loads of gear and rations and move large distances on their feet. These kinetic boots aim to harness the energy from those feet movements and put them to use.
Lockheed Martin is unable to divulge too many details about the boot's internal components due to security concerns, but has revealed that 'piezoelectricity' is at play. The boots collect and capture kinetic energy from the natural movement of footsteps.
The kinetic boot is being designed so that the energy-harnessing technology is both non-intrusive as well as invisible to the wearer. Future versions of the shoe will be made even more rugged than the current version.
Energy-Harnessing Boots
The 'Kinetic Boot' is Being Developed by Lockheed Martin & STC Footwear
Trend Themes
1. Kinetic Energy Footwear - The development of kinetic boots offers disruptive innovation opportunities in the footwear industry for creating eco-friendly and sustainable products.
2. Sustainable Energy Generation - The development of energy-generating boots offers disruptive innovation opportunities in the renewable energy industry for creating products that generate energy from human movement.
3. Smart Wearables - The development of energy-harnessing boots creates disruptive innovation opportunities in the wearable technology industry for creating products that are both smart and sustainable.
Industry Implications
1. Military - The kinetic boots have disruptive innovation opportunities in the military industry for creating sustainable and efficient gear for soldiers.
2. Outdoor Sports - The development of energy-generating footwear has disruptive innovation opportunities in the outdoor sports industry for creating products that generate energy and aid in performance.
3. Renewable Energy - The energy-harnessing boots have disruptive innovation opportunities in the renewable energy industry for creating eco-friendly products that harness and convert energy from human movement.