Bicycle-Powered Computers

I have a friend who is a legendary problem-solver. When faced with the dilemma of quenching her thirst for margaritas while camping, she invented the blender bike a rather unwieldy contraption that mixed drinks using nothing more than pedal power to crush the ice and strawberries. We were impressed with her ingenuity; she was happy to tame her hankering for tequila.

What if her harnessing of human kinetic energy to blend drinks was just the beginning?

Computers and their accompanying devices suck up a significant portion of the electricity used in both homes and businesses and contribute to an overly sedentary lifestyle by keeping people in the same chair for eight or more hours a day. Companies across the world and individuals with inclinations towards human-powered machines have taken my friend's idea and turned it towards more practical though slightly less pleasurable purposes.

VIA a technology company based out of Taiwan has been a leading source of environmentally-minded initiatives in the high-tech world. From carbon-neutral keyboards to solar-powered monitors, the company has placed a great deal of value on ecological goods and services. Their website contains links with information about efficient energy legislation in countries around the world, and details community development programs that the company has supported across Southeast Asia using low-powered networking systems.

The initiatives often make use of VIA's mini-ITX mainboard that can be powered through connections with a plug-in platform. The platform converts a cyclist's movements into electrical currents that can recharge a laptop's battery. Communities throughout the Pacific region have been able to access wireless internet networks, using nothing more than the kinetic energy in their quads and a stationary bicycle. The model can run for approximately an hour after 25 or 30 rotations of the pedal.

These computers may also allow cooped-up office workers throughout industrialized countries the chance to recharge their minds and bodies with bursts of energetic movement throughout the day.

VIA is not the only company to acknowledge the power of the human body in advancing technology in Southeast Asia. In 2003, Lee Felsenstein developed the world's first portable computer for a remote village in Laos.

The Jhai PC plastic-encased and humidity-resistant has been in use in Phon Kham for over three years. A wireless network was put together by the Jhai Foundation and now helps residents in the area communicate with friends, relatives and Craigslist posters from around the world.

Will you be condemned to a life without blended drinks if you choose to live off the grid? Not if you purchase MKIII's Human-Powered Generator, a household power system that uses a stationary bike as its power source. The MKIII which retails for about $550 (US) can run small appliances like home computers, printers, and yes, blenders. Though the company states that even the Tour de France couldn't provide enough pedal power to fuel the average household, the generator can substantially reduce a family's dependence on non-renewable energy sources and possibly whittle down each family member's waistline.

http://www.aboutmyplanet.com/environment/bicycle-powered-machines

http://www.aboutmyplanet.com/science-technology/ebikes

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/02/18/laos.onlinebybicycle.ap/index.html

http://velorution.blogspot.com/2004_04_01_velorution_archive.html