Pedal Powered Wireless Networked Computer?

Friends of Jhai asks: "An NGO called Jhai Foundation, which is building Internet learning Centers in Laos has enlisted Computer Hall-of-Famer Lee Felsenstein to build a cheap, locally assembled, wirlelessly networked PC and communications system. The current details of the machine are here and the application is here. They are looking for similar systems under way that they might work with or which might be ready for deployment. Anyone have any URL's we can check out?" Great! Now you can get your computing and exercising done at the same time! What other types of technology have people managed to adapt to man-power as opposed to boring ol' AC outlets?

Comments

one place to start

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.pedalpower.org, see Projects->Maya Pedal

5 watt computer?

[Anonymous Coward]

- don't care about the pedal power, we run on solar here. I am more interested in this 5 watt computer. Anyone know this beast they are talking about? 5 watts is a piece of cake with one panel, heck, 50 watts is emininetly doable with a small panel. Pedaling is a big waste of time when you are a third world person and usually have to be outside working most of the time, whereas a solar panel is chugging along during the day charging your batteries.

Re:Alternative systems

[sakusha]

My sister used to go to Guatemala and El Salvador in the summers, and work with the local women setting up weaving cooperatives. From watching her over the years, I can personally assure you that it is completely unnecesary to use computers to sell products to the advanced nations. It DOES take trucks, ships, roads, etc. Computers are the wrong end of the infrastructure to develop.

a few urls (human powered electronics)

[xof]

• Slashdot : Crank Up Your Webserver (18jun2001)
• Two days ago : Slashdot : First Wind-up Phone Charger Review (25jul2002)
• mini FAQ on bicycle lights (dynamo=3W)
• How to construct a permanent magnet alternator (this one is for windpower, ~180 watts)
• other homebuilt alternators (~100 watts) (again windpower. ?efficiency)

I did not find URLs for hand-powered military transmitters (but would be interested to get one). ? See also 'human powered flight' (Gossamer Condor), there are also submarines I think ;-)
Don't exercice too much, keep some blood for the brains.

...weaving the web (connecting things, so other people can find too)

Re:Alternative systems

[keynet]

OK, time to set a few things straight.

1. The local villages asked for a system that would let them do this. Jhai don't do anything unless they are asked and local ownership is what makes their projects work.
2. Power consumption. No hard drive, it uses a big flash card and has no moving parts.
3. They are using dot matirix because the refills are cheap and can be done locally. While inkjets are not expensive they have trouble standing up to the environment and the refills cost a bomb, of which there are already too many in Laos.
4. No squids or coconut palms, Laos doesn't have a shoreline it is a landlocked country
5. Power source. There are plenty of fit people in rural villages in Laos. Everyone works as hard a Lance Armstrong just to stay alive.
6. Webmaster contact on TEN Site. Look for the link on every page that says "Contact"
7. I assume that the answer about other similar projects is "No"

Wind up radios and shoe generators

[ruzel]

I read about this inventor who created a wind up radio that is apparently pretty effecient. Worldlink has this story about him. And I believe that I read in Wired that he was now trying to create a pair of shoes that would generate enough electricity to power a cell phone.
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Re:This is ridiculous

[willconsult4food]

Yo, A.C.: You're right, as long as you look at it from a "PC in every hut" perspective.

You are correct in prioritizing drinking water, sanitation, and medicine among the Laotians greatest needs. This computing and communications initiative should be purposed as a tool for community support. Wireless communications relayed from ridgetop to ridgetop by will give these remote communities access to information resources in larger, urban areas that can enhance the communities ability to sustain it's own needs.

Some of the populated areas in Laos are similar to terrains in the Americas that we call "damn-near innaccessible". Parts cannot just be fed-exed for reparing water pumps and filtration systems. The Laotians need solutions based as much as possible on sustainable technology that they can maintain and repair without unneccessary external logistics. And when thing really get FUBAR, they need access to expert information on how to proceed with repairs, or arrange for ordering and transport of replacement parts... even plan for community growth. The system can be used to receive informational materials to train locals in the basic use and repair of infrastructure.

There is no "minor medical emergency center" down the block in these areas. When medical needs go beyond first aid, these people could benefit from even the most basic access to the advice of a physician. After reporting symtoms, recommendations for treatment can be made, and logistics arranged to re-stock community medical supplies, transport a medical professional to the site, or arrange for emergency transport of a patient to a hospital in a larger community.

If you want to permanently raise the standard of living, then EDUCATE. If you combine this computing/communications system with a handful of shared units like the SimPuter (or similar PDA, though hopefully powered rechargeable batteries charged with renewable energy sources), then you can read manuals and read/compose email offline, and download educational courseware to bootstrap classrooms in even the most remote region. Again, the wireless link provides access to expert advice from professional teachers located in more settled areas. I'd like to point out that the SimPuter includes a GUI that supports iconic systems, and a text-to-speech engine that works for Hindi... Laotian can't be that much more of a stretch, so ultimately, even the illiterate can benefit from this.

And since the Jhai system runs on storage batteries charged by pedal generators, there are less issues with this power source than you think. It is possible to charge a large storage battery over a period of time, so that the computer can be run long enough to load and send/receive your communications for the day, and download it to PDAs for access offline. This is a tool for importation of useless trivia, it a way of connecting remote villages to knowledge they need to achieve the standard of living that you (and I) wish for them.