The Freeplay Foundation, which makes the wind-up Lifeline radios featured in The Human-Powered Home, is sending their radios to Haiti’s earthquake survivors. Radios are a vital source of information about obtaining food, water, and medical aid, and of course, the wind-up radios need no electricity. Read more and help send these radios to Haitian survivors.
Author Archives: tamara
Pull-cord Generators
January 29, 2010 – 12:29 pm
When researching The Human-Powered Home I talked with the engineers at Potenco about their pull-cord generator, which was in development for the One Laptop Per Child program. Although they were also working on a device for consumer use, that apparently didn’t pan out. Recently, however The New York Times featured a story on a new [...]
Copenhagen’s Pedal-powered Christmas Tree Lights
December 19, 2009 – 10:21 am
Copenhagen has dominated the environmental news this week, but you might have missed this story about its pedal-powered Christmas tree lights. The setup allows for 15-20 volunteers to pedal stationary bikes that light the tree. (At night or at other times pedalers aren’t working, wind power lights the tree.)
Bike Blender at Climate Conference
December 9, 2009 – 2:53 pm
A bike blender makes an appearance in The New York Times’s coverage of Day 2 of the Climate Conference in Copenhagen!
Another Pedal-Powered Charger
December 9, 2009 – 2:47 pm
This USB-compatible charger for iPods, cell phones, and other mobile electronic devices, is forthcoming from Dahon, a company better known for its folding bikes. Called the BioLogic Freecharge, the charger attaches to a hub dynamo and juices a battery that then charges your device. Reports indicate it will be available in March 2010 and cost [...]
Bicycling Magazine Article Examines Human Power
November 23, 2009 – 12:42 pm
In an article in this month’s Bicycling Magazine, Bob Parks presents an overview of people-powered electrical generation and mentions The Human-Powered Home. Especially interesting is the story of Hudson Harr, founder of ReRev, which has already put human power-harnessing equipment in more than a dozen U.S. gyms.
Testing Human Power
November 23, 2009 – 12:36 pm
I’m often asked, “How much electricity can a person generate?” and the short answer is always, “It depends.” The long answer requires a little experimentation. David Butcher, seasoned human-power inventor, has been in the laboratory with some UMass-Boston students putting that question to the test. Check out his testing protocols and the resulting data.
NPR Covers Human Power Again
November 10, 2009 – 11:21 am
Yesterday’s “All Things Considered” featured a story about Tremont Electric’s Personal Energy Generator (PEG). It’s a device that captures the energy from walking and uses it to charge portable electronic devices.
Human Power as Anarchy
November 10, 2009 – 11:11 am
Seen at St. Mark’s Bookshop in New York, The Human-Powered Home shelved under “Anarchism”:
RollerGen from High Tide Associates
September 29, 2009 – 3:14 pm
High Tide Associates has just released the RollerGen, a human-powered electrical generator that attaches to your bike. Unlike other commercially available pedal-powered generators, it allows you to charge a battery pack for any USB-compatible consumer electronic device while you ride.