The Piezoelectric Effect: Can it Relieve the Pressures of the Energy Crisis?
A colleague recently shared with me a short video that appears on www.youtube.com that describes the potential to use the piezoelectric effect as a form of alternative energy. Sonographers know that the "piezoelectric effect" describes the ability of certain materials to generate an electric charge in response to applied mechanical pressure ("piezein" is Greek for to squeeze or press). This is a fundamental element (pun intended) of ultrasound imaging transducers where an electric charge creates mechanical (acoustic) waves that enter the patient's body and the mechanical pressures (returning echoes) are converted into an electric signal that ultimately are used to create an image on the scanner's monitor.
The alternative energy concept, by car maker Toyota, incorporates lots of piezoelectric elements under a night club's dance floor. The pressure from the dancers on the floor would generate electricity which, in turn, would provide electric power to the club's lights, music system, etc. It's a great idea, and one that might prove useful not only in night clubs but wherever pressure is applied over an area, like sidewalks, stairs and hallways. Perhaps the same concept could be used under roadways or subway systems where significantly more pressure is applied, which would generate even more power.
This got me wondering whether the pressure that sonographers apply with the transducer to a patient's body surface could somehow be converted into useable electricity. The more pressure that is applied on the probe (e.g., during a scan of an obese patient) the more electricity would be generated. Maybe you can see where I am going with this: Pressure exerted on the probe during a sonogram could provide power to the ultrasound scanner, thus providing a system that powers itself during use! (Then again, maybe the current heat wave in Philadelphia is causing me to think a little too far outside the box.) I hope you are enjoying your summer.
You can see the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzb3VFi3Sew.