this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2026
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112
Japan is turning footsteps into electricity (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 days ago by capcool@lemmy.world to c/memes@lemmy.world
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[–] Natanox@discuss.tchncs.de 37 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Had a discussion about something similar. "Why don't we take all the energy created in fitness studios? People constantly push pedals there!"

It's just so phenomenally little it doesn't make any sense, a full routine wouldn't even full charge a smartphone battery (not even close). Put solar on the studio roof instead.

I'd assume it's the same with these. Apparently the idea was even abandoned when it was applied to cars on highways, even those don't produce enough energy by driving over it to justify resources and maintenance.

[–] stuner@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It’s just so phenomenally little it doesn’t make any sense, a full routine wouldn’t even full charge a smartphone battery (not even close). Put solar on the studio roof instead.

I think you're wrong on that one. E.g. when cycling, 100W for 15 minutes is achievable for most people, which corresponds to 25 Wh of energy. To charge a modern phone you need about 15 Wh. So if your overall system efficiency is at least 60%, which seems realistic, you'd be able to charge a phone with that.

I guess it's just not financially viable. Because those 25 Wh would still correspond to less than 1 cent in value (at 0.3€/kWh).

[–] SomeoneSomewhere@lemmy.nz 7 points 1 day ago

Cycling and rowing machines are probably the only practical options for that - they both have intentional friction brakes to dissipate energy, because they are actually efficient enough to need them.

Treadmills still need to put power in because of the friction, and most weight or spring machines rely on you absorbing the energy you just put in (unless you drop the weights...)

[–] lovely_reader@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

A few small commercial gyms have implemented this, as well as the gym at Brown University. Brown estimates that the power generated by its 50 machines is about comparable to what's generated by the solar panels on the roof of the gym. So it's not nothing, but gyms tend to be cavernous and expensive to run, so it's a drop in the bucket, unfortunately.

More unfortunate still is that the takeaway is almost always, "ugh don't bother, it's basically nothing" and not, "wait, why are we burning so much fuel to power this room?"

[–] Aequitas@feddit.org 26 points 2 days ago (1 children)

This is one of those ideas that sound great but aren't. The floor absorbs the kinetic energy that a normal floor would normally send back to the spring system that constitutes your foot, making it necessary for you to expend more energy to compensate for it, and that makes walking more tiring. Essentially, the power is created by making it harder to walk. The additional effort that is placed on the people walking is turned into energy at a very low conversion rate. The energy required to create and maintain this machine dwarfs the expected output.

[–] UnrepentantAlgebra@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

Genius, it's like a tax on walking. If you could get anywhere by walking in America, these would be all over the place.

[–] RustyShackleford@piefed.social 22 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Over a decade ago, I warned my friends in the alley about this technology, but no one believed me.

[–] TheGoldenGod@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

lol I read the post and knew what the username was going to be.

[–] TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Raiden wins!

[–] Klear@quokk.au 2 points 2 days ago

Sustainability!

[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 days ago

Surely wouldn't it make walking more tiring if some of the expended energy was being funneled off for power generation?

[–] bootleg@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Is this meme not about Japanese walking? Comments seem a little too focused on electricity generation while walking.

[–] MrScottyTay@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

Love how it compares "Japanese walking" with "10000 steps". Didn't the latter start as a marketing campaign for a Japanese pedometer.

[–] OneWomanCreamTeam@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Half the reels I've seen on Instagram in the past have a copy pasted description that starts with "Japan is turning footsteps into electricity!" Regardless of the content of the reel. It's on everything from make-up tutorials and videos of cute animals, to videos about Israel's human rights abuses.

[–] Mickkc@lmy.ndu.wtf 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I've noticed that too, but why? I don't understand the point of this.

[–] OneWomanCreamTeam@sh.itjust.works 1 points 23 hours ago

No fucking clue. I think the fact that it's so baffling is part of what's turned it into a meme.

[–] BuboScandiacus@mander.xyz 2 points 1 day ago

This is stupid

[–] Krimika@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Peace among worlds!

[–] Alexstarfire@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

No linked article but I would guess piezoelectrics. I learned about these about 2 decades ago. Cool stuff, but finding good places to use them is difficult.