RUNNING HEAD: HARNESSING FRICTION ENERGY

The Power of Friction and Harnessing its Energy for Everyday Use
Progress Report
By Sidney Boakye and Amy Nguyen
11/9/2016
Objectives:
To initiate the construction of the hydroelectric system

RUNNING HEAD: HARNESSING FRICTION ENERGY

Materials and Methods

Over the course of the past two weeks, we have compiled the list of materials needed for
this project. We have also collected some leftover materials from previous projects which can
potentially be used in our project.
Currently, we have the faux fur, plexiglass rod, voltage meter, Samsung Galaxy S4, Vex Motor,
and Vex Chassis. We still need a breadboard, wires, a battery, and a hydroelectric generator. We
will be using the generator to produce the initial energy needed to power the robotic arm. The
robotic arm will then roll the plexiglass rod across the faux fur and generate a charge.

In the next two weeks, we plan to take delivery of our materials and create a design
drawing for our project. Additionally, we plan on building a setup for our hydroelectric generator
and the containment unit that we shall house it in. Finally, we plan on constructing our robotic
arm using Vex materials.

Materials
10 by 10 inch sheet of faux fur
1 Plexiglas rod
Breadboard
Wires (approximately 10)
Volt Meter
Samsung Galaxy S4 Phone
Samsung Galaxy S4 Charger

RUNNING HEAD: HARNESSING FRICTION ENERGY

Vex Motor
Vex Chassis
Battery

Method:
The goal of this project is to create a triboelectric based generator with everyday
materials which can eventually charge a Samsung Galaxy 4 up to at least 25% in 30 minutes.
Using a basic concept of chemistry, redox reactions, triboelectricity can be made with two
materials. One that will accept electrons and one that will donate electrons. The faux fur will
donate the electron, while the plexiglas rod, as it is rolling across the faux fur, will accept the
electron generating static electricity. The product of this redox reaction will be used to power the
phone. To ensure safety, an apparatus will be built using vex parts to eliminate the need for
physical contact with the faux fur and/or the plexiglas rod. The hydroelectric generator would
allow the mechanical arm to be powered without human manual labor.
The end goal is to be able to connect a Samsung Galaxy 4 to this triboelectric based
generator and have it charged to at least 25% in 30 minutes.

RUNNING HEAD: HARNESSING FRICTION ENERGY

Data/Results:
As we are still in the beginning stages of our project, we have no data or results collected
at the moment.

RUNNING HEAD: HARNESSING FRICTION ENERGY

References
Kurtus, R. (2016). Materials that Cause Static Electricity. Retrieved from
http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/static_materials.htm#.V_Zhs-ArLIU
Redox Reactions. (2003). Retrieved from http://www.shodor.org/unchem/advanced/redox/
Toon, J. (2012). Triboelectric Generator Produces Electricity by Harnessing Frictional
Forces.http://www.news.gatech.edu/2012/07/10/triboelectric-generator-produces
-electricity-harnessing-frictional-forces
Toon, J. (2013). Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved from
http://www.news.gatech.edu/2013/12/07/harvesting-electricity-triboelctricgenerators-capture-wasted-power