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Footstep Power

Short answer: Starting in 2006, JR East tested a 'power-generating floor' at Tokyo Station's ticket gates. Piezoelectric discs inside the floor turn the pressure and vibration of passengers' footsteps into electricity.

The best trials made up to about 940 kilowatt-seconds a day. That's only about a quarter of a kilowatt-hour, enough for displays or a ticket gate but not for the station. In 2008 Soundpower tested a similar mat at Shibuya Station that lit a holiday display. The Reel's glowing tiles look like Pavegen's, which work differently: they use electromagnetic generators, not piezo crystals.

VideoWrite-up7 sources

In collections:Engineering OdditiesPower and Energy

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What should you know about Footstep Power?

Quick facts. Each one stands alone and has a stable ID you can cite.

  1. JR East's power-generating floor at Tokyo Station turns passengers' footsteps into electricity using piezoelectric discs, about 600 per square meter.

    DD-014-F01 · Write-up · Exhibit B (Piezo discs underfoot)

  2. Footstep-power floors make only small amounts of energy. Tokyo Station's best day was about 940 kW·s, roughly a quarter of a kilowatt-hour.

    DD-014-F02 · Write-up · Exhibit C (How much power?)

Video transcript: Footstep Power: These Floor Tiles Turn Footsteps Into Electricity

DID YOU KNOW? Japan has experimented with piezoelectric floor tiles that generate small amounts of electricity from the pressure of people walking across them. The tiles contain materials that produce an electric charge when mechanically compressed, so every footstep slightly deforms the surface and converts kinetic energy into electrical energy. These systems have been installed in high traffic locations, such as train stations, where thousands of daily commuters can collectively generate enough power to run LED displays, sensors, or other low power devices. NOW YOU KNOW!

Burned-in captions, read frame by frame (see transcript.md) · 27.4s Reel ·

Video coming soonFootstep Power · Instagram Reel
Footstep Power: These Floor Tiles Turn Footsteps Into Electricity Instagram Reel · · 27.4s

The write-up

These floor tiles turn footsteps into electricity. Tokyo Station tested power-generating floors at its ticket gates.

  1. Exhibit A

    Tokyo Station's power floor

    JR East has tested a 'power-generating floor' at Tokyo Station since 2006. The 2008 trial at the Yaesu North gates covered about 90 m² of ticket gates and stairs.

  2. Exhibit B

    Piezo discs underfoot

    The floor holds piezoelectric elements, 35 mm discs like those in loudspeakers, about 600 per square meter. They turn the pressure and vibration of footsteps into voltage.

  3. Exhibit C

    How much power?

    The 2008 trial made over 500 kW·s a day on weekdays, peaking at 766 kW·s. A later test peaked at about 940 kW·s a day, or 4.3 W·s per person passing through. A full day's output is roughly a quarter of a kilowatt-hour.

  4. Exhibit D

    What it's for

    JR East wants to use the power for station equipment such as automatic ticket gates and electronic displays. It estimated the output could light a 100 W bulb for about 80 minutes a day.

  5. Exhibit E

    Shibuya's holiday mat

    In 2008 Soundpower Corp. installed a piezoelectric mat at Shibuya Station. A 60 kg person makes about 0.1 W in the second it takes to step across it, and the mat lit a holiday light display.

  6. Exhibit F

    Not all 'footstep tiles' are piezo

    Pavegen's glowing tiles, like those in the footage, compress 5–10 mm. They drive small electromagnetic generators that make about 3–5 W·s per step, which Pavegen says scales better than piezo.

Questions people ask about Footstep Power

Which Japanese station tested a 'power-generating floor' at its ticket gates?

JR East tested it at Tokyo Station's Yaesu North gates.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Tokyo Station's power floor) · Demonstration Experiment of the 'Power-Generating Floor' at Tokyo Station (JR East press release, Jan 11, 2008); Known and unknown phenomena… in the power harvesting mat (Takefuji, NOLTA 2008); Power Generating Floor Tested at JR Tokyo Train Station (Japan for Sustainability, May 2008)

What turns footsteps into electricity in JR East's floor?

Piezoelectric elements (35 mm discs, about 600 per m²) convert pressure and vibration into voltage.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Piezo discs underfoot) · Power Generating Floor Tested at JR Tokyo Train Station (Japan for Sustainability, May 2008); Demonstration Experiment of the 'Power-Generating Floor' at Tokyo Station (JR East press release, Jan 11, 2008)

Roughly how much energy did Tokyo Station's floor make on its best day?

About 940 kW·s, or roughly 0.26 kWh.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (How much power?) · Known and unknown phenomena… in the power harvesting mat (Takefuji, NOLTA 2008); 床発電システム開発の取り組み (J-GLOBAL abstract, 2011)

What did JR East plan to power with the floor?

Station equipment such as automatic ticket gates and displays.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (What it's for) · Demonstration Experiment of the 'Power-Generating Floor' at Tokyo Station (JR East press release, Jan 11, 2008); Power Generating Floor Tested at JR Tokyo Train Station (Japan for Sustainability, May 2008)

How do Pavegen's footstep tiles generate electricity?

Each step pushes the tile down a few mm, spinning tiny electromagnetic generators.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit F (Not all 'footstep tiles' are piezo) · How Pavegen works: electromagnetic vs piezoelectric (Pavegen)

Test Your Knowledge

All quizzes →

5 questions, all from this case file. Answers are revealed instantly.

  1. Which Japanese station tested a 'power-generating floor' at its ticket gates?

    1. Tokyo Station
    2. Osaka Station
    3. Sapporo Station
    4. Kyoto Station
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Tokyo Station JR East tested it at Tokyo Station's Yaesu North gates. Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Tokyo Station's power floor) · Demonstration Experiment of the 'Power-Generating Floor' at Tokyo Station (JR East press release, Jan 11, 2008); Known and unknown phenomena… in the power harvesting mat (Takefuji, NOLTA 2008); Power Generating Floor Tested at JR Tokyo Train Station (Japan for Sustainability, May 2008)

  2. What turns footsteps into electricity in JR East's floor?

    1. Solar cells
    2. Piezoelectric discs
    3. Tiny wind turbines
    4. Thermoelectric plates
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. Piezoelectric discs Piezoelectric elements (35 mm discs, about 600 per m²) convert pressure and vibration into voltage. Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Piezo discs underfoot) · Power Generating Floor Tested at JR Tokyo Train Station (Japan for Sustainability, May 2008); Demonstration Experiment of the 'Power-Generating Floor' at Tokyo Station (JR East press release, Jan 11, 2008)

  3. Roughly how much energy did Tokyo Station's floor make on its best day?

    1. About a quarter of a kilowatt-hour
    2. About 100 kilowatt-hours
    3. About 1 megawatt-hour
    4. Enough to run the whole station
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. About a quarter of a kilowatt-hour About 940 kW·s, or roughly 0.26 kWh. Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (How much power?) · Known and unknown phenomena… in the power harvesting mat (Takefuji, NOLTA 2008); 床発電システム開発の取り組み (J-GLOBAL abstract, 2011)

  4. What did JR East plan to power with the floor?

    1. Train motors
    2. Ticket gates and electronic displays
    3. Air conditioning
    4. Station lighting for a whole city block
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. Ticket gates and electronic displays Station equipment such as automatic ticket gates and displays. Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (What it's for) · Demonstration Experiment of the 'Power-Generating Floor' at Tokyo Station (JR East press release, Jan 11, 2008); Power Generating Floor Tested at JR Tokyo Train Station (Japan for Sustainability, May 2008)

  5. How do Pavegen's footstep tiles generate electricity?

    1. Piezoelectric crystals
    2. Electromagnetic generators driven by the step
    3. Solar panels on top
    4. Static electricity
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. Electromagnetic generators driven by the step Each step pushes the tile down a few mm, spinning tiny electromagnetic generators. Source: Write-up · Exhibit F (Not all 'footstep tiles' are piezo) · How Pavegen works: electromagnetic vs piezoelectric (Pavegen)

Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Footstep Power." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-014, last updated Jun 20, 2026. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/footstep-power/

Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/footstep-power/ · Last updated

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