pedal-powered generator[/caption]Carol Forsloff --If you’re sedentary, need exercise and also face occasional power outages or need alternative power sources while camping or traveling, the latest gadget will solve those problems with human energy.
Gizmag magazine reflects on the newest technical device that includes a small, set of pedals, one often sees in exercise areas of retail stores, designed to fit under a desk or discreetly in a corner, allowing the user to sit comfortably while pedaling. Now this same type of system can be used to create the kind of power that can actually recharge a laptop, cell phone or virtually any electronic device.
This pedal-powered generator by K-Tor is part of a set of electronic gadgets that generate enough power for laptops, cell phones and other small electronic devices. This latest one with pedals has twice the potential of its handheld device that can be used for cell phones and smaller devices.
David Butcher is one of the early innovators in the use of human power, especially of the pedal or crank type. He has been on the forefront of innovation, he maintains, since 1976 and outlines a number of uses for the system he has developed. Much of his work focuses on powering devices that use batteries; however, he also examines the potential for human power to be used for powering an entire house. He tells us he has saved money by using this pedal power.
The future of technology presents opportunities to develop alternative sources of energy, such as this one. That human energy may well make the difference in times of emergency, the kind that has happened frequently across the world during hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and other weather-created disasters. They can also be useful for the hiker, camper, or the traveler who runs out of gas on a stretch of deserted highway and the phone runs out of power. So the practical uses are various.