Piezoelectric tiles light the way for visitors to the space centre
ATLANTA, Georgia: New technology that could be used in self-powered smart cities of the future will soon be demonstrated at the Nasa Kennedy Space Centre’s Visitor Complex at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Ilan Stern, a senior research scientist with the Georgia Tech Research Institute, and colleagues, are collaborating on a US $2 million project supported by Nasa contractor Delaware North Corporation to build a 40,000-square-foot lighted outdoor footpath demonstrating applications of piezoelectricity for renewable energy. A small electrical charge is generated when a piezoelectric material is compressed, flexed, or vibrated.
Harnessing this technology at the visitor complex, the researchers are using a thin, ceramic disk of lead zirconate titanate, which has the strongest piezoelectric response of any known material. “Just as a sponge squeezes out water,” said Stern, “the piezo element under pressure squeezes out electricity that can be harvested and stored.”
For this unique project, the researchers designed floor cavities of very thin, ultra-highperformance concrete. To fit into each cavity, the Georgia Tech engineers designed a novel system of custom electronics: circuit boards, six mini solar panels, a battery, LEDs, a Bluetooth transmitter, a Wi-Fi transmitter, micro controllers, and the piezoelectric element – all of which are covered by a load-bearing glass tile top.
The tiles operate on three power sources: piezoelectricity, solar panels, and a small rechargeable lithium battery for energy storage and use at night. The self-powered system, when triggered by a human footstep, produces a wireless signal that informs visitors about Nasa space missions, piezoelectric technology as well as the STEM cooperation between Nasa and Georgia Tech. — Georgia Tech News