It seems apt for a hi-tech football (soccer) field to make its debut in the heart of Rio, Brazil. But this is not your ordinary, run-of-the-mill, highfalutin affair. Rather the technology goes beyond the scope of opulence, to cater to the ambit of practicality. As as result, we have the world’s very first ‘human powered’ field whose flood lights are ingeniously lit up by the kinetic energy generated from the motion of the running players’ feet.

Located in the Morro da Mineira slum, a ‘favela’ in Rio de Janeiro, the magic of the advanced playground lies beneath its neatly-laid turf. To that end, the hidden space comprises of specially designed tiles (each costing $500) that were specifically developed by British start-up company Pavegen. There are around 200 of such energy-capturing tiles that harness the direct kinetic energy from the players’ feet, and convert it into usable electricity to illuminate the ground’s proximate flood lights.

As for their technical working scope, sadly no detailed info has been released by the engineers – except for the fact that the components utilize cog-like mechanisms that spin to generate the clean power. Additionally, the field also boasts of solar panels that aid in the production of green electricity for the lighting fixtures.

Finally, coming to the ceremonious inauguration of the special player-powered stadium, it was the great Pele himself who unveiled the advanced system with tears of joy in his eyes. He went on to say –

My father named me Edson after Thomas Edison” said the star striker, whose birth name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento. I’m sure that soon the number one scientists in the world are going to be Brazilians.

Via: BBC