Regenerative Shock Absorber Recovers Energy

If you’re one of those drivers that complains every time you hit a nasty pothole, there could be some good news from that bumpy experience. I’m pickin’ up good vibrations…

Okay, we’re not talkin’ the Beach Boys here! We’re talking about new, exciting research involving regenerative shock technology. Researchers from New York State University have discovered that one shock absorber could generate as much as 2-8 watts of power while driving at a speed of 45 miles-per-hour. For typical driving conditions that could add up to about 256 watts. This could potentially turn out to be very beneficial.

According to an article by phys.org, here’s the way it works: Energy can be created with the use of magnets. The power generated is related to the magnetic flux across the coils.

Some students at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) have come up with similar technology. Here’s the MIT News discovery. This information has drawn attention from the U.S. military and from several truck manufacturers.

And don’t worry if your new shock absorber fails to produce power; it will still act as a normal skock absorber. No danger will be inherited from the mishap.

Levant Power, a company founded in early 2008 by a group of MIT engineers, hopes to improve fuel consumption. While in the process, improving the quality of the ride. Here’s more on How It Works.