Electric Avenue: Energy-Harvesting Tiles Line London 'Smart Street'

This'll put a spring in your step — interactive tiles in London convert a sidewalk stroll into

energy. Credit: Courtesy of Pavegen Could city sidewalks one day generate the energy that powers streetlights? An interactive installation in London is taking the first steps toward that futuristic idea, by lining a little-used lane with interactive tiles, to transform it into an energy-harvesting "smart street." The project launched June 29 on Bird Street, a quiet and relatively traffic-free road adjacent to Oxford Street in London's West End neighborhood, according to a statement released by Pavegen, the company that produced the interactive street tiles. When visitors amble down Bird Street, now closed to traffic, a tiled path down the center of the street captures energy from their steps and generates power to trigger soundscapes of chirping birds and nighttime light displays along the avenue. Other technological innovations included in the installation: a seating area that doubles as an air purifier and surfaces covered in special paint that absorbs nitrogen oxide gas present in fossil fuel emissions, Pavegen representatives said in the statement. [10 Technologies That Will Transform Your Life]