CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 19 (UPI) -- A team of U.S. undergraduate students from MIT has invented an efficient shock absorber that also generates electricity from small bumps in a road.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology students said their shock absorber smooths the ride more effectively than conventional shocks and has drawn interest from the U.S. military and several truck manufacturers.
Senior Shakeel Avadhany and his colleagues said the regenerative shock absorbers can produce up to a 10 percent improvement in overall vehicle fuel efficiency.
Their prototype shock absorbers use a hydraulic system that forces fluid through a turbine attached to a generator. They said the system provides a smoother ride than conventional shocks, while generating electricity to recharge the batteries or operate electrical equipment.
The students discovered that in a six-shock heavy truck, each shock absorber could generate up to an average of 1 kilowatt on a standard road -- enough power to completely displace the large alternator load in heavy trucks and military vehicles, and in some cases even run accessory devices such as hybrid trailer refrigeration units.
The researchers -- including Zack Anderson, Zachary Jackowski, Professor Yet-Ming Chiang and alumni Paul Abel, Ryan Bavetta and Vladimir Tarasov -- applied for a patent last year and have formed a company, the Levant Power Corp. to develop and commercialize the product.
