PESWiki.com -- Pure Energy Systems Wiki: Finding and facilitating breakthrough clean energy technologies.

Directory:Human-Powered

From PESWiki

Technologies and concepts for generating usable energy from human activity.

For years I've been waiting for simple exercise-machine-based energy generators. With all the gyms in this country and all the fitness emphasis and machinery, why can't we marry energy production with fitness equipment? It seems a natural fit! - Kevin M. Trammel

Overview

Human-Powered >
Can The Human Body Be Used As A Power Plant? - A brief review of various methods for using the human body as a power plant, or even as a battery. Methods include harnessing human heat from crowds, electricity from typing, knee dynamos, glucose-powered implants. (Energy Daily; July 20, 2010)

The mechanics of foot travel - Computer analysis that allows simulation of infinite two-legged locomotions has shown our favored modes of bi-pedal travel use the least amount of energy. (EurekAlert; Sept. 15, 2005)

Technologies

Child's-Play Harnessing

BYU and Empower Playgrounds install electricity-generating merry-go-round in Ghana - Charles Harrell and five technology students recently traveled to Ghana where they worked alongside Ghanaian colleagues to build and install the power-generating merry-go-round, as part of a senior Capstone project sponsored by Empower Playgrounds, Inc. (Video) (BYU News; June 11, 2008)

Clinton Global Initiative Gets US$2 Billion in Pledges to Fight World Woes - US First Lady, Laura Bush, announced the first commitment: US$10 million from the US government to kick-start a US$60 million public/private project to build children's merry-go-rounds in Africa, which pump clean drinking water into a storage tank. (Reuters; Sept. 21, 2006)

Fueling it with fun - It’s time to power up your kids because now there’s a way to put all their hyperactivity to good use. Click the link to see a playground that's just waiting to turn children's energy into electricity. (Discovery.ca; March 31, 2005)

Flight

Humans like flying squirrels - Only at 100 MPH off mountains in Norway in windsuits, called "wingsuit basejumping". (Vimeo Video; 3.54 minutes, Sept. 2008)

Glucose

Human-Powered / Health >
Power from Glucose for Medical Devices - Scientists in France have implanted the first functional glucose biofuel cell in a living animal. Unlike batteries that supply power to implants, a power-generating device may not have to be surgically removed and replaced, because glucose is a potentially limitless source of energy. The device uses enzymes to harvest energy from glucose and oxygen found naturally in the body. (MIT Technology Review; May 18, 2010)

Hand Power

Energy-Generating Spinning Wheel Provides Power for the Poor - A charkha, or spinning wheel, is a ubiquitous machine in India. The e-charkha, designed by RS Hiremath, not only produces yarn, but also generates electricity using a maintenance-free lead-acid battery, which functions as an inverter. (Inhabitat; Oct. 27, 2008)

Kinetic >
In a twirl with the Chukka Kinetic Music Player - The Chukka Kinetic Music Player combines electromagnetic induction with a unique design that encourages the user to twirl it around the fingers, throw it about and otherwise toy with it. The result - an eco-friendly personal media player that also gives you the stress relieving benefits of tactile interaction and repetitive physical motion (GizMag; August 11, 2009)

Heat

Thermal Electric / Human-Powered >
Human heat can power electronics - New energy-scavenging systems under development at MIT could generate electricity just from differences in temperature between the body (or other warm object) and the surrounding air, harnessing differences of just one or two degrees, producing tiny (~100 microwatts) but nevertheless useful amounts of electricity. (GizMag; Feb. 17, 2010)

Leverage

Moving Big Rocks - Wally Wallington has demonstrated that he can lift a Stonehenge-sized pillar weighing 22,000 lbs and moved a barn over 300 ft. What makes this so special is that he does it using only himself, gravity, and his incredible ingenuity. (J Walk Blog; Oct. 17, 2006)

Mind Power

Wadsworth Brain-Computer Interface - In France, Peter Brunner and his associates demonstrated a brain computer interface (BCI) that translates thought to text on a computer screen. (How Stuff Works; June 12, 2006)

Pedal-Power

See Directory:Pedal-Power - separate index page

Push

Revolving Door Helps Power Train Station - Okay, the lights in the door (go round and round) of a coffee shop in a train station use the power. "A Netherlands train station is using a revolving door to produce electricity. The Natuurcafe La Port in the train station expects the coming and going of patrons to provide 4,600 kWh {guesstimate} a year." (EcoGeek; Dec. 10, 2008)

Rowing Action

EVs > Electric Cars / Emergency Preparedness / Human-Powered >
HumanCar can double as back-up generator for home - This health-conscious electric vehicle by HumanCar is able to convert the rowing motion of the driver and any passengers to charge a battery and power the vehicle, or it can be recharged from a socket. The vehicle can also be used store energy and act as a backup power generator to provide electricity to the home. (GizMag; March 1, 2010) (Video)

Shake

DIY / Lighting > How to make your own hand powered shake led flashlight - Simple, complete set of instructions call for diodes, a resistor, a super cap, magnet wire, a magnet, sponge, and of course an LED. (Electronic Crafts; March 14, 2008)

Step Action

See Directory:Human-Powered by Step Action - separate page

Stretch/Pull

Imagine_PS Power Station Electric Hybrid Vehicle - HumanCar - Fred Flintstone, move over. See how the "HumanCar" hits 60 mph on pure elbow grease and zero fossil fuel. To be made available on Earth Day, 2009. Video) (CNN; Oct. 8, 2008)

Textronics - Electronic textiles can collect, transmit, and receive energy. Circuitry, sensors or functional components embedded in the structure of the fiber or fabric enable a garment to become an electronic medium. These materials can warm, illuminate, conduct, and sense, using the stretch and recovery properties of elastomeric fibers to "power" this medium, creating stretchable interactive electronic systems.

Potenco - Has developed a portable power generator that you simply pull a cord for a minute and generate electric power for up to several hours. This portable green power can be used to power mobile phones, PDAs, lighting products, and digital cameras.

Yo-Yo Powered MP3 Player - The inventors estimate that between 10-12 tosses per hour are sufficient for continuous music play. A wireless headset allows the user to listen to music while yo-yoing. (TreeHugger; Aug. 26, 2006)

REGEN - A yo-yo/MP3 player complete with wireless headset and docking station.

Weight Reset

Lamp Lit by Gravity Wins Greener Gadget Award - A Virginia Tech student has created a floor LED lamp that is powered by gravity, using a weight slide similar to the concept of a grandfather clock. The lamp was originally calcualted to put out the equivalent of a 40-Watt bulb, and lasts four hours per cycle; and the mechanism was expected to last 200 years; however, these calculations were in error. (PESN; Feb. 18, 2008)

Misc.

Self-Powered Light Switch Has No Wires - You flip the switch made by Enocean, a tiny generator creates a tiny charge. There is enough energy in operations or actions like this to transmit wireless signals over a distance of up to 300 meters. (EcoGeek; Oct. 1, 2008)
Directory:Dickson's Human Kinetic Energy Electrical Generator

Human Power Explored - Examination of the various ways human power is converted to electricity.

Patents

Hundreds of Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) patents - Land Rowers, Boat Rowers, Land, Rail, Water, Water Walkers, Drive Systems, Flying, Underwater.

Research & Development

As America Implodes, The Bike Industry Booms - The nation may be wracked by collapsing banks, foreclosed houses and a tanking economy, but there's no sign anything's amiss here at Interbike, the bike industry's annual trade show. In fact, it's party time as a perfect storm of eco-conscious consumerism, health-conscious lifestyles and wallet-sapping gas prices conspires to get people out of cars and onto bikes -- especially electric ones. ('Wired; Sept. 26, 2008)

Biking for Bread: Students Build Pedal-Powered Grain Crusher - Rowan University, and several students have developed a pedal-powered grain crusher. Their aim in building the simple add-on was to create an effective device for people in developing countries to use to process a variety of grains on the cheap. (TreeHugger; March 13, 2008)

Knee Brace Harnesses Human Regenerative Braking - A team of engineers has developed a modified knee brace that captures energy that would otherwise have been lost while the wearer walks. The generator produces about five watts--enough to power 10 cell phones simultaneously. (MIT Technology Review; Feb. 8, 2008)

Swedes to use body heat to warm offices - A Swedish company plans to harness the body heat generated by thousands of commuters scrambling to catch their trains at Stockholm's main railway station and use it for heating a nearby office building. (Reuters; Jan. 10, 2008)

Harnessing Human Kinetic Energy - The battery-size product, the M2E, harnesses kinetic energy, or normal physical movement, to generate power. Clipped onto a belt or carried in a knapsack, the entire generator is contained within a regular battery casing. (MIT Technology Review; Nov. 29, 2007)

Design for the other 90% - Designers, engineers, students and professors, architects, and social entrepreneurs from all over the globe are devising cost-effective ways to increase access to food and water, energy, education, healthcare, revenue-generating activities, and affordable transportation for those who most need them.

"Crowd Farm" to Collect Energy? - A couple of MIT students would like to harness the mechanical power of large groups of people. A responsive sub-flooring system made up of blocks that depress slightly under the force of human steps would be installed beneath a thoroughfare. The slippage of the blocks against one another as people walked would generate power. (MIT News; July 25, 2007) (See Slashdot discussion)

Body Movement Generates Electricity in Miniature Device - A new class of devices aims to convert energy created from body movement, the stretching of muscles or the flow of water to power future nanoscale components. (Fox News; Apr. 14, 2006)

Fuel cell that runs on blood - A Japanese research team at Tohoku University has developed a fuel cell that runs on blood without using toxic substances, opening the way for use in artificial hearts and other organs. (Gulf Times; May 14, 2005)

Humor

Featured: Biofuels >
NatGeo Bus Powered by Passengers - The bussing authority in Atlanta in conjunction with NatGeo, a global biofuel research group, has been experimenting with a new approach to powering their bus fleet with the passengers that board the bus. Passengers enter through the jaws and exit through the tail pipe. (Free Energy News; April 1, 2009)

Fuel Efficiency
Extraordinary Loads on Ordinary Bikes - A collection of 20 images from around the planet, primarily in the developing world, where amazing feats of stacking and balance are achieved, and powered by human locomotion and ingenuity. (TreeHugger; March 30, 2009)

10 Weird Forms of Human Transportation - Having fun using arms, legs and others to get around. Fred Flintstone would be proud! (TreeHugger; Jan. 26. 2009)

Cart Bike - A hack job if you can't purchase a Christiana Bike trailer.

Lawnmower bikes - More here at Treehugger.

Asian Child Mimics Hydro Plant - Energy savant child, Kazuo Hydrohuko, has discovered how to harness the power of municipal water fountains. The method doubles as an effective enema. (Josu Kideng; April 1, 2008)

Manual Windshield Wiper Conversion and Repair - If you don't want the one in the link, get the one in the picture.

The Patented Boonsburg Egg - Simple double disk design used to manipulate and move very heavy objects. Simple design humorously claimed to be identical to Ancient Egyptian "Sun Disk" and similar circles seen at Stonehenge and Coral Castle.

Comments

See Discussion page

Resources

Thermal Efficiency of a Human Being (August 26, 2008)
Carectomy - Bikes - Eight-Ways-to-Overcome-Excuses-and-Start-Cycling.
International Human Powered Vehicle Association
Pop-Sci Core77 Challenge - Human Powered
Human Power - A visual directory of human power websites. (EnergyPlanet.info)
Alternative Energy Pedal Power - News and Information about Pedal Power Transportation, Tools and Technologies.
List of Human Powered Vehicle Sites
Unusual Human Powered Vehicles -"outside-the-box" thinking.
People Powered Machines - Commercially available yard-care products.