Human Powered

Carectomy Week in Review

Joshua Liberles

It’s no secret that we at Carectomy have a bit of a bike fetish. The smog-free human-powered machine offers the world a 100-year-old solution to its transportation needs.

Thanks to the Innovate or Die – Pedal Powered Machine Contest, we’ve seen bike technology tweaked and put to some interesting new uses. But the winner, the Aquaduct Mobile Filtration Device, could very well change the world.

Mass Transit Trims The Fat

Instead of going to the gym, downing diet pills, or getting gastric bypass to get thin and beautiful, why not just take mass transit? According to a recent report by USA Today, taking public transportation instead of driving is a proven way to lose weight and improve your overall health.

U.S. Train Travel on the Rise

U.S. travelers–frustrated by gas prices, traffic congestion, and the hassle and delays of air travel–are increasingly rediscovering the train. One in four domestic flights arrived late in 2007. Add in the maddening yellow-orange-mauve alert security checks, and it’s understandable why passengers are fed up.

Ethanol Not An Eco-Darling, After All

Despite their popularity, the future for gas-guzzling, inefficient cars doesn’t look promising. As gas prices rise and oil grows scarce, Western nations are scrambling to become self-sufficient in producing their own fuel. In the search for alternative energy sources, ethanol has emerged as a favorite. A recent study by scientists at Stanford University, however, has knocked ethanol from its eco-pedestal.

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Gravia Floor Lamp: Human Powered, Never Burns Out

Hank Green

Want turn on your desk lamp? Flip a switch! Right?

Man, that is such pre-energy-crisis thinking! How about, instead, you lift a 50 lb brass weight a couple feet up. The lead weight then, slowly, falls back down toward your desk, producing enough energy to squeeze a few hundred lumens (as much as a 40 watt incandescent) over your workspace for the next few hours.

That, in a nutshell, is the idea behind the Gravia. Actually, the concept that won runner-up at the Greener Gadgets Conference actually is a floor lamp, and it requires quite a bit more lifting (about six feet) to power it for four hours.

Still, I rather like the idea. It's good to have an idea of where energy comes from, and it's even cooler to know that, if your light is out, you need to do more than just flip a switch. Reports swarming the internet that the lamp will stay lit for for 200 years (thanks for all the misleading headlines guys!) are unfortunately erroneous. In fact, the lamp produces only four hours of light per lift, but the LEDs, according to the designers, will last for 200 years of use without needing to be replaced.

Now if only someone could guarantee me that these aren't just going to take a nose-dive into basements to collect dust like a crank-powered Billy the Big Mouth Bass...then I'll be satisfied. As it is, I can see people getting pretty tired of lifting a 50-lb weight six feet in the air every four hours...

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Revolution Door Captures Human Power

Hank Green

Here we have yet another example of using people's everyday actions to produce a bit of power. Already, there's excercise equipment power, body-heated office buildings, and power-generating turnstyles.

But here's another little system that could keep doing its job while generating a bit of electricity on the side. Mostly, it's just a demostration project though. The power generated would likely not be enough to ever pay for the device and many revolving doors are already heavy enough without the added resistance of a generator.

Still, it's hard not to find the idea pleasant.

Via Inhabitat

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A Power Plant on Each Leg

Hank Green

I don't know about you, but I've been feeling downright un-bionic lately. What I need is a good onboard power source that will whir and buzz and make me really feel like I'm worth at least $10 million.

Thankfully a group of US and Canadian scientists have, together, created a "knee dynamo" that taps the power of walking to create enough power to charge mobile phones or iPods or increasingly advanced electrical prosthetics for amputees (and RoboCops). The device, aside from being obnoxiously large and loud, is really quite cool. It actually uses the energy of the leg swinging forward at the beginning of the stride to generate the power.

This energy would otherwise need to be counteracted by the leg muscles to keep the leg from jarring the knee. This way, the dynamo can actually produce more power than the extra energy the wearer spends to use the device. Think of it like regenerative breaking in hybrid cars. Every time you take a step, your thigh has to both speed up and slow down your lower leg. This thing just helps your leg slow itself down, and captures some of that energy. There's an excellent video of the thing in action at BBC news, I suggest you check it out.

I'm saying this right now...if I can't power my own iPod 15 years from now, I give up on this planet...thanks to these guys for getting this technology another step (or half-stride) closer to reality.

Via BBC News

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HumanCar Getting Ready to Release Its Human-Electric Hybrid

Hank Green

OK, so since we just posted about a ridiculous pedal-powered concept, I thought we should also write a bit about a more serious prospect, the Imagine LMV.

The Imagine LMV is what HumanCar is calling its new offering. And while it is both pedal and row-bar powered, the people don't directly drive the car. In fact, the Imagine LMV is an electric vehicle that simply allows the passengers to charge the batteries while driving. The batteries (we're guessing) can also be charged through more traditional means.

Using batteries instead of pure human power allows the bike to hit speeds of up to 30 mph while also being, in theory, much safer than bicycles. Unfortunately, the batteries and generators also make the vehicle tremendously more expensive than traditional pedal-powered transit at roughly $15,000.

At that price, we have to wonder why we aren't just looking to buy a really nice hybrid electric bicycle. Or three...

For more info, check out HumanCar's PDF brochure on the new vehicle.

Via AutoBlogGreen

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