A sustainable self-generating system driven by human energy for wearable safety solutions

Abstract

With the improvement in people’s quality of life, the requirements for health and safety are also increasing. While many wearable devices are available, those wearable devices specifically designed for the safety of night workers have yet to be effectively utilized. A survey conducted with 100 night workers revealed that they have expressed concerns about their safety and that of their colleagues due to lack of visibility while working on the road at night. To address this issue, a wearable electromagnetic energy generator was designed as a permanent solution to increase the visibility of night workers by illuminating LEDs and reduce the discomfort associated with wearable devices. The generator can be integrated with uniforms and converts the kinetic energy generated by the human body during work into electrical power. The generator achieved a maximum output power of 4.28 mW under 2.8 Hz, with a power density is 51.56 μW/cm³. The LED brightness driven by the generator reached 218 Lux. To ensure user customization, the Living Lab strategy was employed, allowing direct user participation during the development process and incorporating improvements based on their feedback. After gathering feedback from the workers, the uniform was redesigned and revised multiple times. Ultimately, the product received high satisfaction scores and was successfully delivered to local municipalities. This paper details a comprehensive study covering the process from needs survey to product design.