A great idea Bowie. We humans can make such a difference if we just placed smart ideas in front of every day actions.. like walking up the steps.

This is well out of my area of expertise, but the amazing engineering students at the Central Queensland University would love to tackle this one.. 'advice/support in energy generation (piezoelectric, electromagnetic generator, electric motor, Triboelectric Nanogenerators), Material research, electronics (energy storage), and Mechanical Engineering'. Let me see if I can help connect you. 

so smart! ~ millions of people walk up and down stairs everyday - this would make a HUGE difference.

What a great idea, Bowie! There are billions of stairs that most of us walk on every day. High-traffic areas such as train stations are a great place to explore.

I recently completed a university project that looked at movement through Central Station in Sydney and mapped it. Let me tell you, there are many stairs connecting platforms and heaps of people flowing through them. Somewhere like this would be a great place to research. Think big and find a place where you can analyse your impact on society and the world around you through your innovation!

1st-year product design student The University of Technology Sydney 

Hey Bowie W,

Great idea,

although the energy applied by each step would be very minimal, set in the correct location like a stairway to a busy subway, this would be able to provide a decent amount of energy. it would be more difficult to integrate into the network grid (though definitely possible) I see it best used in a local network.

you could say have all local LED lighting connected to this system, with a storage battery connected. to use the energy efficiently you could have the lights only turn on when necessary, based on ambient light, or first step could start a timer.

definitely worth extra research.

this could be expanded to horizontal paths, not just stairs also, though with a staircase and rails it would be easier to hide cabling and protect from trip hazards.
looking up the subject, it appears there is some very good research into the concept with already prototyping
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/391822215_A_Review_of_Footstep_Energy_Harvesting_Systems

Have a look, it is very interesting and they have calculated how much energy is generated per step fall.

this will help you to scale correctly and understand the possible loads you can run.

Nathan Connellan

CQU ENEG12007- Creative engineering

Hi Bowie - what an awesome idea! 

I love how this technology relies on human interaction to support with a human-facing problem, and has fewer environmental impacts unlike mining fossil fuel, or clearing land for conventional regenerative energy harvesting methods (solar farms, wind farms etc). Its a really creative and meaningful approach to energy generation.

Based on your brainstorm selection, I think the piezoelectric system is fantastic - as it leveraged mechanical stress form the weight of each step, it doesn't require high-maintenance mechanisms to produce the electric current - this simplicity can offer huge advantaged in practical applications. For instance, the Electromagnetic Generator will likely need a spring & slider or piston mechanism built into each pad to allow transfer of mechanical energy. Similarly, the Motor-Based (Reverse Generator) idea is excellent, but probably suited to larger-scale systems as each step would need to drive the linkage mechanism (rack & pinion, lever arm and gear train), which may propose similar maintenance difficulties in compact 'SEG' pads. Although it can certainly be a strong option if scaled well!

Both the electromagnetic and motor-based prototype ideas require surface motion (ie. depression during loading and then mechanical reset, when load is lifted), and must incorporate many different loading points (not a distributed load), which creates an uneven surface making it hard to balance and introducing a trip hazard. The Triboelectric Nanogenerators option is an excellent application of modern nanotechnology but the reliance on contact/friction between materials to transfer an electric charge may also provide an unstable surface for people to climb on, and must be regularly maintained to prevent build-up of dust and moisture which impact yield (Callaty. C, et.al., 2025). Still, its exciting to see how emerging technologies could evolve in this space!

On material research (piezoelectric):

- Quartz is highly durable, stable and is actually the "second most abundant mineral in the Earth’s crust" (CSIRO, 2024), hence it's low cost and easily accessible. However, it has low piezoelectric output due to minimal deformation (Energy Floors, n.d.)

- Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) is one of the best performing piezoelectric materials, but requires mining and extensive industrial processing and manufacturing for utilisation. (American Piezo, n.d.)

- Potassium sodium niobate (KNN) is another high-performing piezoelectric material, which offers high durability, stability and since it contains no lead it is suitable from public health and environmental standpoint (Xu, L., et al., 2024)

All the best with you idea and design - it is super interesting and you're definitely onto something impactful here.

I am excited for where your research and experiment leads you!

Sources:

American Piezo, n.d. PZT. Available at: https://www.americanpiezo.com/knowledge-center/piezo-theory/pzt/

Callaty, C., Rodrigues, C. and Ventura, J., 2025. Triboelectric nanogenerators in harsh conditions: a critical review. Nano Energy, 135, p.110661.

CSIRO, 2024. Quartz: A mineral with hidden potential. Available at: https://research.csiro.au/critical-minerals-hub/quartz-a-mineral-with-hidden-potential/

Energy Floors, 2025. Understanding Piezoelectricity; Promise and Limitations. Available at: https://energy-floors.com/piezoelectric-energy-promise-and-limitations/

Xu, L., et al., 2024. Ultrahigh thermal stability and piezoelectricity of lead-free KNN-based texture piezoceramics. Nat Commun 15, 9018. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53437-5

This is a very interesting idea. Taking the stairs when commuting is much healthier than taking an elevator.

You may wish to think more broadly as to whether you can incorporate an incentive for passersby to take the stairs as opposed to the elevator to promote healthy lifestyles (maybe the steps can light up in patterns when stepped on).

Josiah Lowe

CQUniversity Bachelor of Engineering