Breakthroughs, Inventions, Discoveries & Pioneering Efforts in the Field of Human Powered Energy

Do have a look at this section and please let me ( narsi at esource dot in) know if you could think of any improvements / refinements to make this section more useful.

For the latest updates in Human Powered Energy, please see all our blog posts

Human Powered – includes Foot Power / Pedal Power

Human Powered Energy - Inventions, Research, Innovations, Breakthroughs 

1. Human Powered Energy Devices - Using power of human activity for electrical and other power needs. An interesting list of updates and products @ Free Energy News
2. Human Powered Energy Generator (HPEG) - by Ben Erickson. Components Needed to Build a 12 volt Pedal Powered Generator - A Pedal Powered generator provides a method of generating electricity by means of a modified exercise bike for use in energy storage and running household appliances. Human/mechanical energy is converted into electrical current by means of a Direct Current (DC) generator that is connected by a fanbelt to an exercise bike flywheel. This article explains how to construct one
3. Foot Powered Generator from Freeplay Energy - Freeplay Energy has released a human-powered electricity generator for commercial sale. Power is generated by pushing up and down with your foot on a step-action treadle. The FreeCharge can be re-charged by any 110v to 240v wall sockets and power input from other sources such as Solar and wind. See this Alternative Energy News article for more
4. East Japan Railway has improvised the Marunouchi North exit of Tokyo Station, a busy thoroughfare, for an experiment about generating power. In mid-October (2006), officials installed sensors in the floor under ticket turnstiles to absorb energy from the millions of footsteps of the 700,000 commuters who pass through each day. The devices convert the vibrations from each step into power by using piezoelectric elements that produce tiny quantities of electrical charge when weight is applied. Executives dream of one day using commuters’ footsteps to power information boards, lights and other devices throughout stations. The initial results from this experiment were not apparently very encouraging, generating minimal power, but it is a creative start, to say the least.
5. The Human Power section of Alternative Energy News site provides various updates on the use of human power as an alternative energy source
6. OSU Students Design Human Powered Potable Water Stills - Nov, 2006 - Mechanical engineering students at Oregon State University have designed and built stills capable of heating polluted water to boiling then condensing the steam into purified water using only human mechanical power. This design challenge was inspired in part by the lack of potable water available in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Thousands of residents were stranded on rooftops surrounded by vast amounts of water, but the water was unfit to drink because it was either brackish or contaminated by biological and chemical pollutants. Had these people had access to human powered stills, they could have produced their own clean drinking water. Read more from this Oregon State University press release
7. Power-play, for the people - Jan 2006 - Chandrakant Pathak in India has invented power-generation gadgets tailored especially for rural energy needs. He has invented power-generation gadgets that can be operated manually or by bullock power, and even installed into bullock-cart wheels. He has modified power-consuming gadgets of every-day use, like motor pumps, flour mills and even electric vegetable shredders to run on manual power, tailored especially to suit rural energy needs - read this inspiring article from India Together, Jan 2006
8. Stationary Bicycle Powered Electric Generator for Personal Electronics - Inventor: Heather Logas - Abstract: A generater powered by a stationary bicycle for the purposes of generating electricity for personal electronics. A generator is connected to a stationary bicycle in such a way as the circular rotation of the front wheel rotates the coils of wires inside the generator between the poles of the magnets inside the generator. The resulting direct current (DC) is channeled to the attatched power strip, into which a number of electrical appliances could be connected. See more about this from here
9. Pedal-a-Watt Stationary Bike Power Generator - The Pedal-a-Watt bike was designed to keep the user aerobically fit while creating some extra power that may be sent to a bank of batteries.  These batteries may then be tapped at a later time, after dark for example, when the energy is needed to power lights or appliances.  The Pedal-a-Watt bicycle is an excellent addition to an existing battery system that may already be charged from the photovoltaic panels, 120 VAC grid power or wind power.  The concept behind the Pedal-a-Watt bicycle is that electricity can be created from human effort and then stored in batteries.
10. Pedal Power – A How-to Guide - The web site explores the details of pedal power and provides a flexible "cookbook" for the enthusiastic hobbyist.  Multiple configurations are used in pedal power devices, depending on the application.  Hopefully by the time you finish reading this you will be able to choose the configuration and design parameters that apply to your situation.
    

Pictures

Human powered bike – the fender blender

European all-weather human powered vehicle 

Check out the latest inventions and breakthroughs in energy & alternative energy, on the following topics @ NewNergy Blog

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