15-year-old Angelo Casimiro, from the Philippines, has recently made international news with a new invention that generates electricity in a very new and interesting way. The invention is a shoe insole that harnesses electricity every time that the person wearing the shoe takes a step. Angelo constructed his device using piezoelectric materials, which actually generate an alternating current voltage every time they are squeezed.
According to a blog post made by the teenager, “Piezoelectricity was present ever since mid-18th century. Piezoelectricity is the electric charge that accumulates in certain solid materials (such as crystals, certain ceramics in response to applied mechanical stress.”
Young Angelo has been working hard developing this idea for the past 4 years, since he was 11 years old. Now that he believes he has perfected his invention, he is prepared to share it with the world. He started by entering the project into this year’s Google’s Science Fair, where he has become a regional finalist.
The device can be used to charge cell phones and other electronic devices, which may not sound like a big deal, but it is actually a huge innovation. Imagine never worrying about charging your cell phone ever again when you are out on vacation, at a festival or on a hike. Additionally, Angelo has made the plans for the device open sourced, so others can apply their own ideas to this concept, and possibly be able to improve this idea for wider uses.
Angelo says that while this device is fully operational, it is not yet ready for mass distribution.
