This floor mat is a prototype that demonstrates the opportunity for a large scale, sustainable ground surface. Embedded piezoelectric polymers under the surface of each floor section work with no power source to harvest the energy from daily foot traffic and convert it to usable electricity to power other necessary devices.

When given an electrical charge this material will flex and change shape. There is currently experimentation to develop artificial muscles using this technology. These materials also work in the opposite way which I have used them. When they are deformed, they create a charge, so essentially, when this surface is walked over, energy is harvested using only the human stride and held in a battery for later use.