Amritsar: SoE student, teachers develop piezoelectric shoes

Tribune News Service

Neha Saini

Amritsar, September 23

Ever heard of shoes that can also act as charging device for your mobiles. Or shoes that can come handy as tasers, especially for women who want fashion and safety to go hand in hand.

Well, a student of School of Eminence, Chheharta, Himmat Singh has developed prototypes of piezoelectric shoes for men and women offering energy harvesting concept built for future. Himmat, a student of Class XII, along with his mentors Neha and Saheb Dayal Singh, both physics lecturers at SOE, Chheharta, recently displayed how the prototype shoes functions to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann as the two visited the school for inaugurating the first School of Eminence in Punjab. Himmat has been working on the project along with Neha and Saheb Dayal Singh since 2022 and the trio have showcased their concept at Pushpa Gujral Science city, Kapurthala, and DAV College, Amritsar. As Himmat explained, the shoes are built with energy harvesting material with an electric circuit that uses the energy for charging as and when required.

Neha, who has been teaching physics in school since 2016, further briefs on the project, “Piezoelectric materials are the ones that can produce electric energy upon application of mechanical stress, in this case, activities like walking or jogging. The mechanism involves development of electric charge due to movement of electron upon application of stress. So, when we apply pressure on shoes while walking or jogging, they will produce electric charge in the battery that is fitted in the sole of the shoes. This electric energy can be used for charging or as form of tasers, in case of women shoes.”

Himmat’s father is a shopkeeper and mother a homemaker. He wants to pursue the field of physical science and continue to work as an innovator. Neha and Saheb call their student as ‘gifted’ and the trio are currently in the process of further modifying their prototype aesthetically. The school is also setting up ATAL Tikering lab, under GoI’s Atal Innovation Mission to foster and facilitate students like Himmat in developing scientific temperament and give them a platform for innovations.

“These labs have advance scientific equipments, including 3D printers, technical equipments and advance research softwares. They also have AI-enabled operations, which help in carrying out experiments and research right from scratch,” shared Neha, who has previously been a lecturer at GNDU and DAV College, Amritsar.

The teachers from the science department of the school have been nurturing more students in life science and physical science based innovations, providing them books and learning material as well. Only four other government schools, including School of Eminence, Mall Road, has ATAL tinkering lab, in Amritsar.

What is ATAL tinkering lab

The ATAL tinkering lab is a highly specialized laboratory set up with the aim of facilitating advance research in life and physical sciences. It is equipped with operational devices, AI-enabled softwares that help in solving research problems and providing solutions through advance computer softwares. It mostly helps in data analysis, cloud computing and application based solutions.