Tokyo Station Installs New Floors to Generate Electricity

Our tech savvy friends in Japan have set their minds to making use of smart, natural energy. Last year, the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) began testing some revolutionary new piezoelectric floors which proved to be a viable solution for creating electrical energy.  Their system works by transforming the kinetic energy generated by passengers passing through the ticket gates into that electrical energy. Installed in one of the world’s busiest metro stations — Tokyo Station — the company expects to get over 1,400kW per day, which is more than enough for their needs. [via Inhabitat]