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 pull-cord generator, the YoGen, from Easy Energy, Inc.

This hand-powered charger appears more ergonomically friendly than the more common, small wind-up cell phone chargers. According to the specs, it can generate a maximum of 6 watts, which is less than Potenco’s pull-cord generator generated, but just enough to charge a cell phone, GPS, or music player. The YoGen retails for $40.

Easy Energy, Inc. also promotes a product in development called the YoGen MAX, a device the operator uses by “pressing down on a springy, suspended, self-returning pedal.” The YoGen MAX will reportedly generate 60 -80 watts, plenty of electricity to operate a laptop.