Whatever happened to energy-generating pavements?

[plowter]

Whatever happened to those energy-generating pavements? The ones where each footstep was supposed to generate enough energy to run street lights and stuff.

[Zacs-Master]

The jury seems to be out on whether they actually 'work' when environmental, social and economic consderations are taken into account. Shopping centres (Westfield reputedly placed an order last year) seem the most likely venues for the product I.e. where they don't have to be dug up and re laid, as most town centre pavements do.

[plowter]

I remember a gushing technology article outlining how these would be installed at supermarket checkouts and customer footfall would provide enough power to run the tills. Another example was car parks where cars driving over a plate would power the lights and ticket machines.

The future is so disappointing.

[Zacs-Master]

I know. As a child of the 60's I was led to believe that we would all be riding around on hover bikes, eating meals in pill form and living inside glass domes. On a serious note, if you look at Pavegen's website the idea is by no means dead.

[LazyGun]

Where are my Hover boots!! I want my Hover boots!!! :)

[Zacs-Master]

Lazy, Pavegen had them banned as they would definitely spell the end for them!

[plowter]

James Dyson is developing Hoover boots - slight problem with the name.

I remember the days when we we told computers would do all our work and we'd have so much leisure time, Now we seem to spend more time fixing the problems that the freaking computers cause.

[bazwillrun]

Seems to have run out of steam !

[zebo]

I recall in the '60s my A level Physics teacher told us that it would be possible in the near future to harness the energy of golf swings to produce enough energy to feed the national grid. Subsequently, I included this in a piece of work on new energy forms. He met me on the corridor and pointed out that the lesson had been on 1st April!!!!!!!!!! Never let me forget it

[Hopkirk]

I wish they would re-run the old BBC programme Tomorrow's World, so we could see what happened and what didn't.

If they had shown smart phones that could call up instant information on anything, I wouldn't have believed them.