Piezo Shower
/ Product Design
Based on recent nanotechnology researches led by Zhong Lin Wang, from the School of Material Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the intrinsic morphology of this shower follows a very simple principle: the use of water as only energy source.
The Idea
Piezo emerges from the idea of minimizing our energy consumption. It proposes to use the existing pipeline’s incoming cold water as only source of energy. The system is based on recent research from the Institute of Technology of Georgia.
The inner surface of the shower’s tubes is covered with piezoelectric nanofibers, which have the property of generating electric charges from pressure, movement or friction; in this case the water running inside.
To maximize the surface in touch with the water and thus make the system more efficient, the shower’s body is built with prolific ramifications that make reference to the human’s circulatory system, both in its macro and microstructure. By splitting up the tubes, the surface with the water increases, resulting in more electricity, therefore more heat.
Photos
Alfredo Salazar
Veronica Huyghes
As the water passes through the shower’s tubes, an array of Zync nanofibers captures the energy and converts it into heat, which will raise the water’s temperature. An array of 20.000 fibers with a few centimeters of lenght can generate up to 1.2 V.
The shower is controlled through a waterproof display, powered by the same system. The display also shows useful information like the elapsed shower time and the amount of consumed water.
Production
The Piezo Shower project was realized with the collaborative work of Fernanda Pizá, Natalie Weinmann and Sebastian Jansson. The prototype was constructed in stainless steel at the workshops of ENSCI-Les Ateliers in Paris, and partially funded by the Master of European Design program.
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2nd Prize |
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Green Machines |
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