Shopping may never be the same again. The next time you visit the high street you could be walking on pavements that emit birdsong, resting on benches that pump out filtered air, and browsing pop-up stalls covered in paint that purifies the air.
The New West End Company, which represents thousands of businesses, and Transport for London (TfL) have joined a group of technology companies to create what they claim is the world’s first “smart street” on Bird Street, near Selfridges department store.
Walkers traversing Bird Street can connect to an app and see how much electricity their footsteps generated.
Pavegen installed a 107-square-foot array in Bird Street to harness and convert the power of footsteps into electricity, which will supply energy for lights and bird sounds in the area. Bluetooth Low-Energy transmitters are also part of this array, so that users can interact with the array via apps. People can see their steps on the energy-harvesting pavement translate into discounts, vouchers, and clean electricity.
Pavegen is shifting to become a permanent and commercial smart-flooring solution. The technology has evolved from a singular tile, which generates electricity from footsteps, to an entire array with three multi-functional component parts. These functionalities are called: data, floor and energy. The new Pavegen System, is poised to power the data-driven smart cities of tomorrow.
