Footsteps Power Cities at 250 Sites in 5 Countries

Laurence Kemball-Cook spent five years building prototypes in his bedroom while everyone told him he was crazy. Today, his kinetic floor tiles power lights at the White House and charge phones at train stations across five countries.

The industrial designer stumbled on the idea while working at energy giant E.ON. He was researching street lighting powered by solar and wind, but spotted a problem: dense cities don't get enough sun or wind for those technologies to work well.

Cities do have one resource in abundance though. People on the move, thousands of them every single day.

Kemball-Cook's breakthrough came when he realized a flywheel could capture the kinetic energy of footsteps. One step spins the flywheel for up to 10 seconds, creating continuous power that's easier on batteries than sudden bursts.

After a successful trial at the London 2012 Olympics, his company Pavegen now has 250 installations worldwide. At Telford train station in England, commuters charge their phones with energy from their own footsteps.

In Hong Kong, a running track stores energy in batteries that power nearby building lights. Outside the White House, 10,000 daily pedestrians keep a local park lit after dark.

The technology works best in high-traffic areas where tens of thousands of feet hit the ground daily. Train stations and shopping malls generate far more energy than quiet rural streets.

That's why Kemball-Cook has been spending time in Saudi Arabia, where massive new cities need roads and paths built from scratch. Planning 100,000 square meters of energy-generating flooring from day one makes more sense than expensive retrofits.

The Ripple Effect

Beyond clean energy, something unexpected happens when people walk on Pavegen tiles. They bond over it.

"When you generate energy with someone, you bond over it," Kemball-Cook explains. "You'd be like, hey, I'm generating energy for my city. That's cool."

He's noticed a generational shift driving demand. Younger people who care deeply about sustainability are moving into positions of responsibility and choosing technologies like Pavegen for their projects.

The next challenge is scaling production to bring costs down to match regular flooring. Kemball-Cook is raising investment now to make that happen within five years.

His vision stretches beyond individual installations. "We believe the footsteps of millions can power cities in the future," he says.

Every daily commute could light a park, and that future is already starting under our feet.