The other day I was tuned in to NPR's "All Tech Considered" when I heard, "The next time your batteries need a recharge, try taking a walk". Huh?
A few years ago, as Aaron LeMieux was walking along the Appalachian Trail, he kept having to stop in little towns to find batteries for an electronic device. Dragola.
Aaron is a mechanical engineer, so he turned frustration into an idea. He wondered if it was possible to convert the kinetic energy we expend when we walk into a Personal Energy Generator (aka PEG). After all, mobile electronic devices like the iPhone only require 2.5 watts of power to fully recharge. So, all you have to do is harvest 2.5 percent of our human walking energy, and voila! juice for your mobile electronic device.
Fast forward to 2009 - Aaron's new company Tremont Electric prepares to unleash a PEG device that is about the size of a small flashlight. It captures the renewable energy of your footsteps — no outlet required.
Just place the nPower PEG in your backpack, briefcase, or handbag, and plug it into your iPod, cell phone, or GPS. Walk or run. As you move, your PEG continuously charges your handheld electronic device at the same rate as a wall charger. Typically, a battery receives an 80% charge in one hour.
It's cool, it's green it's great.
It's not cheap - $149 - but figure the price will go down - quickly.
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