The Human-Powered Home

Occupy Movement Is Human Powered

tamara — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:08:52 +0000

After NYPD seized fossil- and bio-fuel generators from Occupy Wall Street protesters, they turned to pedal power to keep laptops, phones, and cameras functioning. Environmental advocacy group Times Up! helped set up the generators. According to one article, it would take 11 pedal-powered electrical generators to meet the New York group’s needs. Meanwhile, protesters in San Francisco are also generating their own electricity with help from Rock the Bike. Check out more articles on the use of human power in the Occupy movement here and here, with videos here and here.

Human-Powered Gyms Update

tamara — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 12:53:36 +0000

Read a good overview of the state of human-powered exercise machines in gyms in IEEE’s latest Spectrum. The article refers to some of the inventors and businesses featured on this site, including Mike Taggett, the Green Revolution, ReRev, and the Green Microgym. Like The Human-Powered Home, it points out the relatively low capacity of human power compared to other energy sources — and explains that human power is not economical. But most of us aren’t doing it to save money on electric bills. At least, not yet.

Powered By the People

tamara — Tue, 10 May 2011 19:54:08 +0000

Check out Powered By the People in Alberta, CA, an organization devoted to engaging people in “bicycle culture and alternative energy though small actions that cumulatively create great change.” This Saturday, May 14th, they’re hosting a Pink and Green Pedal Power event in Canmore, Alberta. Visitors will have the opportunity to try bike blenders and pedal-powered generators.

Wearable Generators

tamara — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 22:15:48 +0000

Thanks to a fan for pointing me to this article about researchers at the University of Auckland who are experimenting with dielectric elastomers to make wearable generators. From the article: “In a paper in Applied Physics Letters this week, the Auckland researchers described building a 110-millimetre-wide, plunger-shaped generator capable of producing 10 milliwatts of power.” Dielectric elastomers can be used in generators because the material induces a slight current differential each time it’s compressed. The Auckland scientists’ approach is similar to what the U.S. military pursued in its now-abandoned energy harvesting boot (as described in The Human-Powered Home), but they’re aiming for something more flexible, lightweight, inexpensive, and probably better suited to the consumer market.

Sustainable Sound Featured on NPR

tamara — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:14:13 +0000

A friend alerted me to this story on WBUR’s “Here and Now” of a rock band touring with what they call Sustainable Sound–a pedal-powered audio and lighting system for their performances. It’s the creation of 32-year-old inventor Sean Stevens, who recently organized a demo concert at Landry’s Bicycles in Boston. Check out the link for photos of Stevens’s DIY human-powered generator in action. In the book and on this blog I’ve featured other groups that pedal-power sound systems. One notable for its sophisticated and portable setup is Rock the Bike.

Pedal-Powered Cacao Winnower

tamara — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 03:00:21 +0000

Michael Sacco, of ChocoSol, has continued inventing human-powered machines since I interviewed him for The Human-Powered Home a few years ago. His latest design: a pedal-powered cacao bean sheller and winnower. View a video of the machine in action here … where you can also donate to help ChocoSol build winnowers and solar roasters for its off-grid chocolate factory in Toronto and its sister business in Oaxaca, Mexico.

New Human Power Book

tamara — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 02:22:49 +0000

Arjen Jansen has conducted years of research on using muscles to power consumer devices at the Delft University of Technology. His PhD thesis is now available as a book, Human Power empirically explored.

The book focuses on the design, ergonomics and potential output of human-powered (mostly hand-cranked) consumer devices such as flashlights, MP3 players, and small electrical generators. It reviews over 200 such devices for output and ease of use. Its tone is academic, but readers who appreciate scientific details will applaud Jansen’s thorough research.

More, from the book’s back cover:

“This work provides insight into the knowledge required to design human-powered energy systems in consumer products from a scientific perspective. It shows the developments of human-powered products from the first introduction of the BayGen Freeplay radio in 1995 till current products and provides an overview and analysis of 211 human-powered products currently on the market”

And perhaps most interesting:

“Although human power is generally perceived as beneficial for the environment, this thesis shows that achieving environmental benefit is only feasible when the environmental impact of additional materials in the energy conversion system is well balanced with the energy demands of the product’s functionality.”

Congratulations, David Butcher!

tamara — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 01:41:25 +0000

While writing The Human-Powered Home I was privileged to meet and talk with dozens of people who were passionate about pedal power. David Butcher was one of my favorite interviewees. He happily shared his ideas and accompanied me on presentations when I was in the Bay Area. His energy and good cheer are infectious. And David truly lives what he preaches as he human-powers several electrical and mechanical devices in his home. Every day! On Valentine’s Day he reached a milestone: he generated his 100,000th watt-hour of pedal-powered energy during his morning exercise. Read more about his accomplishments here. Congratulations, David, and thank you for inspiring us all!

WBC in Home Power Magazine

tamara — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 04:34:08 +0000

A great little article about Chicago’s Working Bikes Cooperative appears here in the Dec-Jan issue of Home Power magazine.

Pedal-Powered Kitchen Center

tamara — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 03:16:21 +0000

Many human power enthusiasts (including authors of the 1977 book Pedal Power: in Work, Leisure, and Transportation) have dreamed of an all-purpose pedal-powered kitchen center that allows you to run multiple gadgets from the same drive. German designer Christopher Thetard has released just such a thing, called the R2B2 — and it’s not only functional, but also beautiful.

The engine is driven by a pedal that you push, which is attached via a chain to a set of toothed gears, which run a flywheel. It can power an axle that rises from the kitchen center’s counter (and can connect to a coffee grinder or food processor) or a flexible shaft that can be inserted into a device such as an immersion blender. It’s worth viewing the whole slideshow to see Thetard’s early prototypes, design sketches, and technical drawings.