NextBillion.net - Development Through Enterprise - Bikes That Power Laptops - Comments

Interesting idea. My dream

dainu zodziai — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:54:51 -0500

Interesting idea. My dream would be to see more car-free cities like ones I have visited within Scandinavia

Human/bike power

Michael — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 05:21:32 -0500

A few of the comments here sparked my curiousity. Has there ever been a study to compare human-generated electricity with other alternatives, such as solar or wind? The desperately poor don't have anything to sell but their labor, so I'm wondering if that labor might be used to generate electricity, for example by using a field of stationary bicycles to turn generators? It might sound a little crazy, but is it really so far-fetched?

I remember seeing this on TV

gametester — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 04:23:28 -0500

I remember seeing this on TV or reading about it years ago. It's really a great idea. Make the kids work before they can play. I can think of more things that just obesity that it would fight. Maybe get them out of the house too. I can remember spending hardly any time in the house as a kid. These days that's all kids want to do is spend time inside playing video games.

special education application

JJS — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 15:22:15 -0500

I'm a physical therapist in a school system and have been wondering if this technology existed. I would love to try it with some of my less fit students who are not motivated to "exercise", but are highly motivated to watch videos, play computer games, or watch TV. Is the technology readily available and is it very expensive? Would love some imput. Thanks.

Re: Hook it up to the x-box

Ethan Arpi — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 13:26:56 -0500

I like your thinking. Now that so many kids play sports video games rather than playing sports, EA Sports, or some other video game designer, should create a cycling game where the peddling is actually integrated into the game itself. Of course, no kid would play if it were just cycling so there would have to be gratuitous violence as well, a la Grand Theft Auto.

hook it up to the x-box

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 12:56:10 -0500

If the bike-powered generator were the only way to make an x-box run, I bet the kids would get on board very quickly!

Bike Power

NMU — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 11:54:36 -0500

Very interesting concept, but I don't see why it would not work in the US. I know plenty of energy-conscious city dwellers (say in Washington DC, San Francisco or NYC) that would love to give up their cars and also have an additional incentive (other than exercise) to do so. Sure, it may not be popular amongst kids, but perhaps young adults could be targeted instead? Get those kids later in life. ;)

Interesting idea. My dream

_cweinman — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 10:09:59 -0500

Interesting idea. My dream would be to see more car-free cities like ones I have visited within Scandinavia. The feeling of walking around a car-free city is so pleasent, there is a definite focus on community, life, and healthy living. It has a positive impact not only on the environment, but on the community as well. That would be something to see.

Worldchanging just had an article about the city of Davis and it's love for bikes. You can check it out at WorldChanging.

Re: Oweinman

Ethan Arpi — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 09:56:18 -0500

Thanks for the comment. I think you are totally right that bike power is not going to catch on here in the United States. In the last fifty years we have developed an amazing sense of entitlement that energy is, and always will be, readily available with no strings attached. Therefore, having to do physically exhausting excercises to generate power seems to be completely out of the question.

To go out on a limb, what would happen if generators were attached to excercise machines in gyms? It might not be cost effective, but it certainly would be cool!

Well it sounds like an

_cweinman — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:04:21 -0500

Well it sounds like an excellant idea for Uganda. Get someone like Lance Armstrong on a bike and they will have power for a month!

But sadly, I cannot see this working ever here in the U.S. Atleast not in the near future. I am cyclist myself, but realize that American kids much rather run over people in video games than run on pavement.

It would be interesting to see this physical human-powered energy source compared with other alternative energy solutions such as solar. Which is more efficent and cost-effective. Any thoughts?

Bikes That Power Laptops

Ethan Arpi — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 12:54:23 -0500

I’ll come right out and say it: I have discovered a cure for childhood obesity. But it’s not the kid’s meal equivalent of the Atkins or South Beach Diet. Because serious problems require serious solutions, I suggest that we turn to Uganda and see how villagers power their cell phones, laptops, and televisions. You see, American children are obese because they spend way too much time watching programs like “Pimp My Ride” and “My Super Sweet Sixteen,” while they chat on AIM and send text messages to their friends (And we wonder why they all have ADD!). If we simply adopted the rural Ugandan model of energy production, we could still enjoy all the virtues of American culture—i.e. reality TV—while avoiding its vices, namely obesity.