When we talk about alternate methods of getting energy, let us not fail to consider kinetic energy chargers. A popular use of these is in hybrid vehicles where braking charges the electric battery. The more popular term for this is “regenerative braking” and it is great example of how kinetic energy (the energy of motion) can be converted into electricity. While human powered things have been around as long as the pyramids, consumer products that convert human motion to electricity have yet to hit their potential. A few up and coming products are listed here:
- Tremont Energy is coming out with the nPower Personal Energy Generator (PEG). The PEG utilizes the kinetic energy generated by the user while walking or running to generate power for small personal electronics. The PEG hasn’t hit the market yet, but the company is taking pre-orders.
- Orange, a UK communications company, released a dance-powered phone charger in June of 2008. The device generated a lot of excitement when released but does not appear to be available for public purchase. More information from the manufacturer, GotWind, can be located here.
- M2E Power is looking to corner its portion of the green tech market with its kinetic energy technology. M2E Power has plans to release a portable kinetic charger sometime in 2009, as well as improve the efficiency of hybrid car batteries.
- Kyle Toole, an aspiring inventor, has designed the Etive, a prototype for a kinetic charger targeted at hikers.
It seems that a future with kinetic charging devices is inevitable, which begs the question: How much will people exercise in order to charge their electronics?
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