Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd., in collaboration with Professor Hiroshi Tani of Kansai University, has developed a new technology to generate electric power from the rotation of a tire, which is accomplished by installing a power generating device (Energy Harvester) inside of a tire to convert static electricity occurring within a tire into clean energy.
source/image: sumitomo
Inside the Energy Harvester are two layers of rubber each covered in an electrode, along with a negatively charged film that interfaces with a positively charged film.
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This new device takes advantage of a type of static electricity called frictional charging to generate electric power efficiently each time a tire’s footprint deforms as a tire rotates.We believe that this technology holds great potential for practical applications as a power source for various automotive digital tools.
source/image: sumitomo
The device by Sumitomo Rubber carries out the conversion of this into electricity, and this electricity could then be used for powering up particular accessories in the dashboard such as lights or the radio.
