In The Human-Powered Home I wrote about the heel-strike generator, the boot heel embedded with a material that issued current when compressed–current that could be harnessed to power batteries for portable electronics. The U.S. Military (DARPA) chose not to pursue the technology after testing showed that wearing it and generating electricity all day taxed test subjects. Now Dr. Ville Kaajakari, an assistant professor at Louisiana Tech, has come up with a similar electricity-generating shoe that he claims will work better.

Featured in this article, “the polymer-based generator developed by Dr. Kaajakari is soft and robust, allowing it to blend in with the filling of athletic shoes.” That means that unlike DARPA’s heel-strike generator, the electricity-generating material is less rigid and not limited to one area of the footwear. Still, the article doesn’t explain exactly why this newer version would be easier on the wearer.