Tech Startup Develops Cell Phone Charging Insole

In 2011 Carnegie Mellon University classmates Hahna Alexander and Matt Stanton were given an assignment by their professor – “make a product that will benefit students on campus.” Alexander and Stanton, along with a few other classmates went on to develop an energy harvesting shoe with embedded LED lights, which allowed users to travel more safely at night. While the product earned the group and ‘A’, it inspired Alexander and Stanton to start a new company, SolePower, with the hopes of changing the way to world produces and consumes energy.

The company, launched with support through Carnegie Mellon’s Project Olympus, startup accelerator AlphaLab, and funding from an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign, has developed an insole for shoes that converts the kinetic energy from a person’s steps into electricity that can be stored in a battery and used to charge any number of devices. SolePower EnSoles stores the power generated in an external, waterproof power pack that attaches to the outside of the wearer’s shoe. The pack can then be removed and used to charge just about any USB compatible device. According to Stanton, one hour of walking equates to 30 minutes of talk time on the user’s device.

SolePower is also focused on developing sandals with the same technology that can be used in developing countries where access to power is much less reliable. In this case, that power generating device is built right into the sandal itself – rather than the insole – and instead of a removal battery pack, the user plugs the phone directly into the sandal. While this product is still in its prototype phase, Stanton hopes this technology will have a “real impact globally.”

“Every small step really does make an impact, and we’re a piece of that puzzle,” Stanton said.

Visit Popular Science to watch a video further detailing SolePower’s technology.