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Hand-Powered Hardware?

Posted by timothy on from the for-the-coming-apocalypse dept.

quiddity writes "Following the Goofy USB Devices post, one has to know what can be self-powered when the batteries all die. You can handcrank your Gameboy, recharge your cellphone or pda (even grandpa), wind up a webserver (with minions, a beowulf..), see in the dark, and project a movie. What else can we propel through the next blackout/apocalypse?" Some of these devices have have been on Slashdot before; what cool hand-powered tech hasn't been and should be?

6 of 298 comments (clear)

  1. Freeplay by amembleton · · Score: 4, Informative

    Freeplay are a company that specialise in wind-up electronic toys including a mobile phone charger.

    I have this radio, designed by Freeplay that has a wind-up charger and solar panel. Works on FM, MW, SW and LW with a 30 station memory. Its not bad, works well and with good sound quality. It also doesn't look dorky like some of their earlier models.

  2. limitation by thorgil · · Score: 4, Informative

    A well-trained human body can produce around 100 W of motion effect for a couple of hours. (bicycle style)

    So don't even think p4 ok?
    maybe an via mini-itx or something ...without display.

    --
    Warning: This sig contains a small bug. ==> *
  3. Low power budget by G4from128k · · Score: 3, Informative

    How about pedal-powered aircraft as the ultimate human-powered tech-toy?

    One problem is the low power budget for human-powered systems. The average fit adult can only crank out about 75 W. (No specs on the power output of the average computer user). Even a athletic cyclist only puts out about 200W.

    A cyclist should be able to power a laptop, but running much more than that would be difficult.

    --
    Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
  4. Re:Universal Battery Replacement? by benjamindees · · Score: 5, Informative
    • bicycle
    • electric motor
    • package of various resistors
    • diode(s)
    • speaker wire
    • basic electronics book/training

    There isn't much you can't power with this type of setup.
    --
    "I assumed blithely that there were no elves out there in the darkness"
  5. Re:I remember... by General+Alcazar · · Score: 3, Informative
    It was developed by the Jhai Foundation with help from Lee Felsenstein. Lee Thorn founded Jhai - he is a Viet Nam vet who wanted (needed) to find a way to reconcile his experiences in the war with the people of Laos.

    Here is a link to an article about the bike-and-linux powered computer they developed. It is pretty cool.

    Here is a link to a previous slashdot story on the machine. There were a lot of dumb comments previously on this story for some reason.

    Here is a link to a page on the Jhai Foundation's website about the concept. Last I heard, the project was hung up in Laotian red tape, waiting for some bureaucrats to give it the green light. I have no idea why a project like this would pose any threat to the government of such a country, however. Hopefully these problems have been resolved.

  6. Wired story about inventor by iamr00t · · Score: 3, Informative

    here
    That radio was distributed in war zones and refugee camps.

    By the way that's a great article on subject, i.e. personally powered devices :)