Innovation

SolePower: Charging Electronics Step by Step

SolePower's SmartBoots, courtesy of SolePower

Pittsburgh’s SolePower is capturing energy from human motion and creating wearables that keep workers safe.

SolePower creates self-charging wearables that capture wasted energy from human motion. Electronics can be powered solely by footsteps—creating “unplugged” technology that doesn’t need to be charged.

SolePower smart work boots (“SmartBoots”) collect motion and location data, providing industrial workforces with actionable insights to increase efficiency and reduce accidents. Embedded in the boot is a patented kinetic charger that generates power with every step.

SolePower has some big-name partners. The US Army is testing SolePower’s kinetic charger as a back up battery source. Charging while walking is more efficient for soldiers than carrying heavy power packs.   National Science Foundation funding helped develop the kinetic charger, sensors and GPS into a work boot.  As co-founder and CEO Hahna Alexander explains in a recent press release “the system gathers and provides insights and data to improve worker safety by visualizing location and motion of workers on hazardous sites.”

SolePower is partnering with SR Max/Saf-Gard, a Greensboro NC company that provides boots and shoes for workers in a variety of industries including manufacturing and food service. Together they will develop the SmartBoot technology to collect and analyze real-time data from self-charging footwear. “Insights about foot movement and location will help keep workers safe, fit, and productive.” Hahna continued.

SolePower’s founders are members of Forbes 30 Under 30 in Energy. SolePower has been featured twice at the White House for creating technology with a global impact, and , and the annual summit Women in the World has named SolePower CEO and Co-Founder Hahna Alexander a 2017 Toyota Mother of Invention.

 

Investors include Carnegie Mellon UniversityInnovation Works, and Revolution Investments.

Read the press release from the launch of SolePower’s SmartBoots here.

 

 Watch: CEO Hahna Alexander awarded Toyota Mother of Invention 2017

Contact:
Cindy Kerr, Commercial Director
cindy@solepowertech.com
412-337-2873
128 N. Highland Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15206