Students at MIT have created a new set of shocks, called GenShock, that generate electricity as they smooth out the vehicle’s ride. We first heard of such a system from MIT in late 2007; now the team has apparently refined the shocks to the point that major automakers have taken notice. The biggest group that’s looking into the technology, though, may be the U.S. military. AM General has provided a military-spec HUMMER to the students and is reportedly working on the next-generation of the soldier carrier. Might the GenShocks actually make it to the HUMMER V.2? The technology works by capturing some of the energy lost through kinetic motion as the shocks move up and down in relation to the surface of the road (or the lack of it, in some cases). MIT claims that its shocks actually perform better than conventional dampers, even while improving overall vehicle efficiency. [Source: Inside Line ] Auto Blog: Emerging Technologies MIT students develop shocks that generate electricity originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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MIT students develop shocks that generate electricity