A Personal Power Generator
A start-up will sell a gadget that uses springs and a magnet to recharge personal electronics.
Katherine Bourzac 11/10/2009
- 8 Comments
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According to NPR, a Cleveland startup called Tremont Electric will make a flashlight-sized device that converts energy from walking into electrical current for recharging the batteries in personal electronics. Springs inside the device bounce up and down, causing a magnet to oscillate and create an electrical current. The device is currently on pre-order and should arrive in time for Christmas.
From the NPR story:
Mobile electronic devices like the iPhone only require 2.5 watts of power to fully recharge themselves, he [company founder Aaron LeMieux] says. "So, in the end, all we have to do is harvest 2.5 percent of your human walking energy, without you knowing it, and put it in your mobile electronic device."
According to the company's website, the device weighs 9 ounces and can produce 4 watts of power to recharge mobile devices at the same rate as a wall outlet. This would be a cool device to have while we wait for nanogenerators to get out of the lab and onto market.
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Guest (Roy)
Nano nano nano
I am confused by the last line of this article.
In what way will nanogenerators replace this device or existing smart materials such as piezoelectrics or electroactive polymers? You would need billions of nanogenerators for the output that this generator produces.
If you are trying to claim that nanogenerators might be embedded into your clothing or something like that then that may be possible but such an approach could be taken with existing smart materials that are far more efficient.
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