Data from: Generating electricity while walking with a medial-lateral oscillating load carriage device

Biomechanical energy harvesters generate electricity, from human movement,
to power portable electronics. We developed an energy harvesting module to
be used in conjunction with a load carriage device that allows carried
mass in a backpack to oscillate in the medial-lateral direction. The
energy harvesting module was designed to tune medial-lateral oscillations
of the carried mass to create favourable device-user interaction. We
tested seven energy harvesting conditions and compared them to walking
with the device when the weight was rigidly fixed to the backpack frame.
For each energy harvesting condition, we changed the external load
resistance: altering how much electricity was being generated and how much
the carried mass would oscillate. We then correlated device behaviour to
the biomechanical response of the user. The energy harvesting load
carriage system generated electricity at no additional metabolic cost to
the user, when compared to walking with the carried weight rigidly fixed.
The device was able to generate up to 0.22±0.03 W of electricity, while
walking with 9 kg of carried weight. The device also reduced the
interaction forces experienced by the user, in the medial-lateral
direction, compared to walking with the device when the mass was rigidly
fixed.