{"id":22088,"date":"2019-12-19T17:44:06","date_gmt":"2019-12-19T17:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2019\/12\/19\/how-the-army-wants-to-use-your-boots-to-generate-juice-and-keep-tabs-on-you\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:35:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:35:32","slug":"how-the-army-wants-to-use-your-boots-to-generate-juice-and-keep-tabs-on-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/intel-geoint\/sensors\/2019\/12\/19\/how-the-army-wants-to-use-your-boots-to-generate-juice-and-keep-tabs-on-you\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Army wants to use your boots to generate juice (and keep tabs on you)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two new footwear advances could help soldiers use their own footsteps to charge devices in the field and enable commanders to track their location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Army recently awarded a $16.5 million contract to Robotic Research LLC for a sensor unit that fits on a boot and can be used to track individual soldier locations, even in GPS-denied environments, according to a Robotic Research statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soldiers are carrying more electronic gear <\/a>than ever before, and those radios, tablets, sensors and other devices need to be charged. And it\u2019s hard to find a wall socket on the battlefield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One novel way to get after the charging problem while still keeping soldiers on the move <\/a>comes in the form of a recent patent out of the Army\u2019s C5ISR Center<\/a>, which is developing a shoe insole that can generate electricity with each step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the soldier\u2019s heel pushes down into the insole, the force hits a miniature rotational level mechanism, turning a small generator, which creates an electric charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\t